Marina Pina

Updated Thursday, February 8, 2024-02:08

  • Defensa Robles visits Iraq amid doubts about the permanence of Spanish troops

  • Relations Sánchez's trip to Iraq: support for the 362 Spanish soldiers and commercial mission to invest in reconstruction

The situation of Westerners in

Iraq

is compromised as understanding grows between the country and its neighbor

Iran

. The territory, with a Shiite majority, has become the new object of attacks in the kind of cold war between

Ebrahim Raisi,

Iranian Prime Minister, and Joe Biden. Thus, last Friday the United States attacked positions of pro-Iranian militias on Iraqi soil, a risky move that strained relations with the still Western partner that also receives almost daily attacks on its bases.

Iraq has already announced the

end of the presence

of foreign troops in its country. A decision that worries the Spanish executive, since the presence in Iraq is important to

contain terrorism.

For this reason, the Government has been focusing for a month on strengthening relations with Iraq.

To know more

Near East.

Washington and Tehran, on the verge of open conflict

  • Editor: JAVIER ESPINOSA (Special Envoy) Erbil (Iraq)

Washington and Tehran, on the verge of open conflict

In the current context in the Middle East, Iraq has very significant importance. The emergence of Daesh in the country significantly raised the threat level of jihadist terrorism and forced the West to make a huge effort to

combat the threat

. There are currently 2,500 soldiers deployed in the country, of which 367 are Spanish. Spain participates in

two different missions

in Iraq. On the one hand, with NATO, providing support and security against Islamic terrorism. On the other hand, in an international coalition led by the United States that trains the Iraqi army to fight the Islamic State in Operation

Inherent Resolve.

"We are going to

strengthen bilateral relations

in terms of Defense and training," Minister Margarita Robles announced yesterday after holding a meeting in Baghdad with her counterpart, Thabit Mohammad Saeed Al-Abassi. The head of the Armed Forces verbalized Spain's strategy, which involves strengthening its own ties with Iraq in preparation for a possible increase in Iranian influence in the country. And the Government is focused on this.

Pedro Sánchez traveled to Iraq at Christmas. His tour coincided with the announcement that Iraqi President

Al Sudani

made about the departures of

NATO

troops

from the country. With this position, the politician aligned himself with the demands of the leaders of the country's Shiite groups, whom he needs to govern. If this decision is carried out, Baghdad will move closer to Tehran and more radical groups may proliferate.

In the last 20 years, far from popular belief, Islamic terrorism has become more difficult to control. At the birth of Al-Qaeda, the terrorists were based

in Afghanistan.

Over the years, new factions and groups have emerged in different parts of the world - the Sahel, Somalia, Iraq... - which makes it difficult to control them at source to prevent them from attacking Europe. Because the simplified connection the terrorist makes is that any ally of the United States is his enemy. For this reason, Spain intensifies its

diplomatic action.

A month after Sánchez's visit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, traveled to the country. In an exercise to strengthen relations, he reminded his counterpart,

Fuad Hussein,

that "the historical relations between Spain and Iraq have been defined by the understanding and ties between our peoples." The minister stressed his agreement with his Iraqi counterpart that "it is imperative

to stabilize the region,

which requires a commitment from the international community to direct all efforts towards that objective."

In that same field, yesterday the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, became the third member of the Executive to visit Iraq in a month and a half. "They wanted

to thank us for the support

that Spain has been offering to Iraq since 2003. We have highlighted that they are two friendly countries with a common objective: working for peace," Robles explained to the media gathered there. The minister, who will continue her visit to the country today and will be received by the president, said that bilateral relations "are very important because both countries are committed to peace." Because in the international panorama of the Middle East, a destabilized Iraq is unpredictable.