Iraq’s regional neighbors met in Baghdad this week to discuss the launch of the Development Road project. Sudani also met with officials this week to discuss reforming Iraq’s agriculture sector, focusing on water scarcity and primitive irrigation practices. Multiple Iraqi security officials visited Tehran to discuss border security. Sudani called the Turkish president to congratulate him on his election victory, while President Latif Rashid attended the royal Jordanian wedding. Meanwhile, the Federal Supreme Court ruled on the Kurdistan Region Parliament’s term extension.
On May 27, Sudani hosted a conference to launch the Development Road project, with representatives from Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, and the EU and World Bank. The project is estimated to cost 17 billion USD, as the Sudani government seeks to diversify Iraq’s economy and integrate it with the economies of neighboring states through the building of 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) of interconnected railways and highways, from the Gulf, through Iraq, and into Turkey. The next day, Sudani chaired a committee meant to review the conference and follow up with the Development Road project. In attendance was the Minister of Transport Razzaq Muhabis, head of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Commission Abdul Kareem Al-Faisal, and the PM’s investment advisor Muhammed Al-Najjar.
Early in his term, Sudani promised that farmers who continue to use old methods for irrigation will not be supported by the government through subsidies next year. To follow up on agricultural reform, Sudani met with the ministers of industry and agriculture, alongside his advisors, and directors general from both ministries. Sudani emphasized the importance of addressing water scarcity in Iraq and how adopting efficient irrigation systems is crucial. The next day, Sudani received the KRG’s Minister of Industry and Trade in Baghdad and discussed the same issues.
National Security Advisor Qasim Al-Araji met with the new Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian on May 28. The trip follows a series of meetings and agreements signed between Iraq and Iran to bolster security on their shared border, in particular in the Kurdistan Region. The day before going to Tehran, Araji visited PUK leader Bafel Talabani in Sulaymaniyah. Two days after Araji’s visit to Tehran, Iraq’s Minister of Interior Abdul-Amir Al-Shimmari also visited Tehran, meeting with his counterpart to discuss border security.
In other news, Sudani called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 30 to congratulate him on his re-election. Little politics was discussed over the phone, although oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through Turkey continue to be halted for the third straight month.
President Latif Rashid and the First Lady attended the wedding of the Jordanian Crown Prince in Amman on June 1. KDP head Masoud Barzani and his son Masrour Barzani were also in attendance. Head of the Hikma Movement, Ammar Al-Hakim visited Cairo where he met with both political and religious figures like President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Pope Tawadros II.
The Federal Supreme Court ruled on May 30 that the one-year extension of the Kurdistan Region Parliament was unconstitutional. Although the court delayed making a decision multiple times, it finally issued a verdict, which is unsurprising as it does not want to set a precedent in the future that could be used by the federal parliament to extend its term past its four-year mandate.