Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Sunday that stability in the Middle East must come from within the region itself, not from external powers, renewing calls for a security dialogue with Gulf states.
Speaking after the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) held a council of foreign ministers in Baghdad, Mr Hussein described the security situation as critical.
“The security situation in the region is complex and the region, in fact, as a whole is under fire, so the first priority we need is stability and security,” Mr Hussein said at a joint press conference with the OIC's Secretary General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
“We cannot buy security from abroad, we need internal security, and that internal security is the co-operation between the countries of the region,” he added.
The high-level OIC meeting was first of its kind in the Iraqi capital in 45 years, and is seen as part of Iraq's broader effort to reassert itself as a regional mediator.
Iraq has in recent years positioned itself as a rare interlocutor able to talk to all sides – maintaining close ties with Gulf Co-operation Council states, a strategic partnership with Iran and a security relationship with the US.
The call for a home-grown security architecture is not new for Baghdad. Three years ago, Iraq had proposed a formula bringing together the six GCC states plus Iraq and Iran, but “due to certain circumstances there was no response to this initiative”, Mr Hussein said.
The initiative, which he referred to as 6+2, was revisited after the Iran war broke out in February. The current push comes amid a renewed wave of instability across the region, from the war in Gaza and escalations in Lebanon and the Red Sea to continued tensions with Iran and threats to shipping in the Gulf.
“Recently there have been important contacts between the concerned countries, especially between Gulf states, Iraq and Iran, to activate this initiative,” he added. The minister said that “we will work to hold a meeting in this regard and we look forward to being in Baghdad.”
However, the initiative still needs “intensive contacts”, he added. “If a meeting is held between these countries, the issue of security will be raised, the issue of stopping the war will be raised, and initiatives to start peace and stability will be raised,” he said.
The 6+2 concept has been touted by Baghdad as a pragmatic framework that acknowledges geographic reality. The idea is that the eight coastal states of the Gulf share inseparable security and economic interests, from oil exports and freedom of navigation to climate change and water scarcity, regardless of political rivalries.
The economic argument is central to Baghdad’s pitch. Iraq is pursuing its ambitious Development Road project linking the Gulf to Turkey and Europe, and Gulf states are looking to invest in Iraqi gas, electricity and infrastructure. Officials in Baghdad argue that such projects cannot move forward while the region remains locked in a cycle of confrontation and external security dependency.
Without stability, the minister continued, “we cannot move towards economic development, we cannot move towards building the economy, nor towards investment, so we need security and stability”.
He added that regional countries, not foreign powers, should lead peace initiatives. “The priority is about security and stability, and I believe it is incumbent upon our countries, the countries of the region, to put forward initiatives on how to achieve security and peace, not foreign countries,” he said.
Foreign countries “come but only think of their own interests, while the countries of the region and the people of the region are the stakeholders, therefore we seek to achieve stability in the region”.
Iraq will continue to communicate with these countries with the help of the Secretary General of the OIC “until we reach this outcome”, he said.