2nd Baghdad Conference on Iraq to begin in Jordan – Photo: Associated Press

French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the second annual Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Amman, Jordan today.

This marks the second Baghdad Conference that Macron has attended. The first conference held last year provided a platform for the Iraqi government to seek broader regional and international support and forge political, economic and security partnerships. Macron’s attendance is yet another notable example of the French president’s efforts to burnish his diplomatic credentials, both within Europe as well farther afield. His shuttle diplomacy between Kyiv and Moscow earlier this year in the lead up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is another prime example.

Beyond Macron’s personal agenda, the conference itself is likely to yield few concrete policy developments either regionally or for the Iraqi government.  Iran’s presence in the conference highlights that countries political and security interests in Iraq, but also its desire to thwart the regional hegemony of the Arab Gulf States. At the same time Turkey will use the conference as an opportunity to air its grievances over Kurdish activities in Iraq’s northern region.