Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for an official visit to Iraq to discuss counterterrorism cooperation. Shoukry arrived in Baghdad airport before noon and was received by his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari. The two officials held a meeting in Jaafari's office, where they discussed bilateral ties, intelligence and security coordination and fighting IS group in the region.
After announcing victory against IS group in Mosul, "the intelligence and security coordination must continue because we are not confronting a traditional army. They are terrorist suicide groups that can appear here and there," Jaafari said at a joint press conference with Shoukry after the meeting.
For his part, Shoukry said that Iraq has an experience in dealing with terrorism and the factors that fuelled such phenomenon "like funding such terrorist groups, providing safe haven for them and media to promote their ideology."
"We have the spread of terrorism in Iraq, which wouldn't spread without support (by regional countries), arming, funding and opening the borders wide (for terrorist) to enter Iraq. We are seeking to change policies that lead to support terrorism in the region, including the policy of the Qatari government," Shoukry said.
Shoukry's comment on Qatar came as Egypt itself is part a group of states, led by Saudi Arabia, who announced previously cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing the Gulf state of supporting and financing "terrorism" as well as interfering in their internal affairs. Qatar denies the accusations.
Early in June, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi regretted the crisis between some Arab nations and Qatar, saying that Iraq is not part of the Gulf crisis.
Later in the day, a brief statement issued by Abadi's office said that the prime minister received in his office the Egyptian minister who conveyed congratulation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi over the victory of Iraqi forces against IS terrorist group in Mosul.
Shoukry "expressed his country's desire to strengthen brotherly relations with Iraq in all fields, and its willingness to cooperate with Iraq in the fields of security and reconstruction," the statement said. "Abadi stressed on the need to respond strongly to Daesh (IS group) terrorist gang, which represents a common danger, with a greater cooperation and coordination," the statement added.
During his visit Shoukry also met with the Iraqi President Fuad Masum and is scheduled to meet the Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri and other political leaders. Shoukry's visit came came after Abadi on July 10 officially declared Mosul liberated from IS after nearly nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the country has been going through chaos and sectarian strife even after the withdrawal of U.S. troops that was completed in late 2011.
Egypt has been facing a rising wave of anti-government terrorism since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Most of the attacks in Egypt, which have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers ever since, were claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to IS.