International researcher: Iraq must diversify its international partnerships towards the East and the Global South

Dr. Aijan Sharshinova, Executive Director of Crossroads Central Asia and Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Center in London, stressed the importance of Iraq, as a country suffering from the effects of war and seeking to recover, to diversify its international relations and not limit itself to traditional partners in the West.

In a statement on the sidelines of her participation in the seventh Baghdad International Dialogue Conference in Baghdad, Sharshinova stressed that the global South and the East hold vast opportunities for promising future projects, especially in light of the availability of human energies and financial resources in these regions.

She added that regional experience shows the difficulty of maintaining a balance between major powers, noting the challenges facing countries such as Iran in this context, emphasizing that achieving this balance requires an accurate understanding of national priorities and the ability to manage international relations in order to serve the general interest of the state.

She concluded her statement by stressing the importance of adopting realistic and flexible foreign policies that rely on diversifying international partnerships and prioritizing national interests over political polarization.