Sisi marks first Iraq visit by an Egyptian leader in decades

Marking the first visit by an Egyptian president to Iraq since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrived in Baghdad on Sunday.

The decades earlier conflict had badly damaged the relations between Egypt and Iraq; however, the relations have witnessed an improvement in recent years with many senior officials from both countries exchanging visits.

In a bid to boost Iraqi ties with Arab nations, and counter Iran’s influence in the country, Sisi's visit is part of a summit between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.

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The fourth round of talks between these countries, this summit is aimed at strengthening security, economic, trade and investment cooperation. In recent years, Iraq has also signed cooperation deals with Jordan and Egypt in the energy, health and education sectors.

Shortly after Sisi’s arrival, Jordan's King Abdullah also arrived in Baghdad. They were received by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and Iraqi President Barham Salih.

While Iraq’s Kadhimi, Sisi and Jordan’s Abdullah were supposed to have a summit in Baghdad in April, they had to postpone due to a train crash in Egypt that left dozens dead and wounded.

After Iraq's cabinet in December approved renewing its contract to supply the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) with 12 million barrels of Basra light crude for the year 2021, Egypt in February signed 15 deals and memoranda of understanding in various sectors including oil, roads, housing, construction and trade.

"The president affirmed Egypt's aspiration in developing bilateral cooperation with Iraq into a sustainable framework of economic integration and strategic cooperation, especially in light of the great challenges facing the region," said an Egypt presidency statement.

A pipeline that will hold the capacity to export 1 million barrels per day of Iraqi crude from the southern city of Basra to Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba is also being planned by Iraq.

(With inputs from agencies)