Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi reiterated that the Middle East has been significantly affected by the consequences of climate change, the water crisis, and the dangers of desertification. This is in addition to health challenges following the emergence and spread of epidemics such as the coronavirus pandemic, which calls for collective and joint efforts to confront them. Al-Kadhimi also stressed that the repercussions of the crisis in Ukraine require intensifying regional and international efforts to find quick solutions and unifying efforts to ensure food security and secure energy supplies. The Iraqi prime minister — during his speech at the Jeddah Security and Development Summit hosted by the Kingdom in Jeddah — suggested the establishment of the Middle East Bank for Development and Integration in partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt and Jordan. He called for the bank to be concerned with sustainable regional development by financing infrastructure projects that would help connect the regional economies, and prioritizes the development of regional electricity networks, oil and gas pipelines, highway networks, ports, airports, and heavy industries with a large regional market. This is in addition to financing projects in water resource management, desertification, and climate change mitigation. “We meet today amid sensitive regional and international challenges, and also amid great hopes and aspirations that cooperation efforts, building bridges of trust and giving precedence to the language of dialogue to achieve a safe and stable environment that guarantees a decent life for the nations of the region,” Al-Kadhimi said. He pointed out that his country has taken initiatives to enhance regional dialogue, cooperation, and partnership, and that Iraq is proceeding with this approach in its national interest and the interest of the region in general. He stressed his country"s support for the path of dialogue and negotiations to remove nuclear weapons from the region and make it a safe region in the interest of the whole region and the world at large. The Iraqi prime minister stressed the need to find a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause that meets the aspirations and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and the need to stop all aggressive measures, violations, and attacks against the Palestinian people, and to resolve the conflict based on international legitimacy resolutions, which constitutes the only way to achieve stability in the region. He highlighted his country"s support for the existing Yemeni armistice as a fruitful first step to end the Yemeni crisis and restore stability and support international and regional initiatives aimed at ending the conflict. He added that Iraq supports regional and international efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis and address its repercussions and the human suffering, renewing Iraq’s positions which supports Lebanon in overcoming its political and economic crisis and building bridges of dialogue and cooperation to restore stability to the country. Al-Kadhimi explained that Iraq — in cooperation with its neighbors and friends — played a key role in fighting terrorism and defeating Daesh (so-called ISIS). He stressed that uprooting terrorism calls for strengthening national, regional, and international efforts to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and dry up its sources of financing through joint security cooperation and information exchange and expertise. He reiterated that Iraq, being an important oil producer, faces an increase in environmental challenges, therefore, Iraq is working to invest in gas that is burned in oil fields and working on explaining the scope of investment in alternative energy. The Al-Khadimi stressed Iraq"s endeavor to enhance the dialogue environment in the Middle East and considers that the atmosphere of economic cooperation and security coordination between all brothers in the region directly serves the interests of the peoples of the region. He noted that the tripartite meetings and conferences that brought Iraq together with Egypt and Jordan have produced a common vision to open up areas for cooperation and integration. He cited the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, which was an expression of the historical ties that unite all regional countries. He explained that Iraq and the GCC countries have taken important steps to strengthen their relations aimed at achieving integration in various fields, hence, the signing of two electricity interconnection agreements with Saudi Arabia and the GCC countries, adding that Iraq is on track toward electrical linkage with Egypt and Jordan. The Iraqi prime minister wished that the summit would achieve its desired goals in the service of the Arab countries, and to build a better future for the nations of the region. — SPA