From the beginning, the new Iranian government of Ayatollah
Seyed Ebrahim Raisi made it clear that change in the executive branch would
bring about a shift in foreign policy.
The new Iranian foreign minister,
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, indicated how this shift would play out under
Ayatollah Raisi.
In his speech at the Baghdad summit, Abdollahian reiterated
what his predecessor often underlined in such regional platforms that Iran
wants closer cooperation with the countries of the region, especially Iran’s neighbors.
But at the same time, he was keen to let it be known that
this cooperation should be done in a new spirit, one that would respect the
legitimate interests of Iran and refrain from pursuing a zero-sum game. In
addition, the top Iranian diplomat made it clear that no one should seek to
change the balance of power in the region by relying on outside forces.
Underlining Iran’s support for the Iraqi efforts to create
areas for cooperation and interaction among the countries of the region,
Abdollahian noted, “Our region has all the religious, cultural and
civilizational characteristics as well as material and spiritual capacities for
regional cooperation and convergence, but unfortunately, due to foreign
interventions and the dominance of security-oriented ideas, it has many
problems, including war, instability and insecurity.”
In pointing to a foreign role in the region, the Iranian
foreign minister put the focus on the main thrust of the Baghdad summit. The
Iraqi government put much energy and effort into holding this summit to bring
closer the views of stakeholders of a region suffering from political
divergence and polarization.
The Iraqis portrayed the summit as a unique platform to
foster intra-regional cooperation and partnership. From their point of view,
bringing together officials from rival countries would make Iraq more secure
and spare it the prospect of being collateral damage for regional
rivalry.
In addition, the Iraqi government was eager to convey the
message that they want, and are able, to work with all countries of the region
regardless of their political standing.
Iran welcomed the Iraqi efforts and underlined the need to strengthen regional
security through dialogue among the players in the region. “What we need today
more than ever before is "sustainable regional security" with the
participation of regional countries. Regional security will materialize
depending on the use of economic resources to build a coalition for peace and
development,” Abdollahian told the summit.
He added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its
support for the Iraqi government and people and its internal decisions
including the withdrawal of foreign troops and holding early elections, and it
welcomes Iraq’s constructive role in promoting a culture of dialogue and
regional cooperation. Iran considers cooperation within the region as the basis
for establishing stability and peace in this way. The Islamic Republic of Iran,
emphasizing the important role of other countries in the region, declares its
readiness to advance these goals.”
At the end of his speech, the top Iranian diplomat
underlined that Iran is adopting a new approach toward the region under
Ayatollah Raisi, who has reiterated more than once that Iran’s foreign policy
should focus on regional cooperation particularly in economic arenas.
Abdollahian pointed to this new pivot and said, “With great
pleasure, I declare, at the inauguration of Iran’s new government that our
foreign policy, being ‘balanced, active and smart’, emphasizes the priority of
relations with neighbors and other countries in the region, and we warmly shake
hands with all neighboring and regional nations.”
Whether this new approach would lead to the normalization of
ties with regional heavyweights such as Saudi Arabia remains to be seen. But it
seems that there is still a long road ahead until relations are fully
normalized.
Two things happened at the Baghdad summit that dampened
hopes for closer regional cooperation. First, Syria was not invited to the
summit despite being a major neighbor of Iraq. Some press reports suggested the
exclusion of Syria was due to foreign pressure on the Iraqi government.
Iran objected to this exclusion both before and during the
summit. “We believe that Syria, as one of Iraq’s important neighboring
countries, should have been invited to this meeting, too,” said Abdollahian
before leaving Tehran for Baghdad.
During the summit, Abdollahian once again alluded to Syria’s
absence. “I would like to emphasize the role and support of regional nations in
stabilizing and resorting security to Iraq including the friendly and brotherly
country of the Syrian Arab Republic. I would like to express regret that Syria
is not attending this summit,” he said.
Second, there were no reports of a meeting between Abdollahian
and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Faisal bin Farhan in Baghdad. This is while
many important meetings were held on the sidelines of the summit. One such
meeting was between the Emir of Qatar and the president of Egypt. Another
meeting was between the Emir and the governor of Dubai, who also met with
Abdollahian.
