Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi

The Jeddah conference will not at all discuss the issue of normalizing ties with the Israeli occupation, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Friday.

The Iraqi premier stressed that anyone saying normalization will be brought up during the Jeddah conference is saying so with the intention of disrupting Iraq's restoration of its role in the region.

"[I] will discuss with (US President Joe) Biden the issue of the joint strategic agreement in the areas of health and economy," al-Kadhimi said. "Iraq will be neither today nor tomorrow in any camp or military alliance."

The Iraqi prime minister's office announced on Wednesday that al-Kadhimi was participating in the summit hosted by Saudi Arabia early next week. The summit will be attended by the heads of state of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in addition to Egypt and Jordan, as well as the United States.

The Iraqi government's statement said al-Kadhimi decided to participate in the summit "to discuss the issues of energy, food security, and environmental challenges, in addition to specifying the steps of cooperation, partnership, and joint coordination regarding these pivotal issues that the peoples of the region are suffering from."

The statement further read that Iraq is participating at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and that the participation in the summit "is the continuation of the government's commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties" and preserving Iraq's status in the international arena while adhering to moderation and maintaining balance away from axis and alliances.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived on June 26 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of a regional visit that will also see him going to Iran as part of Baghdad's efforts to bridge Tehran and Riyadh's viewpoints.

Sources told Al Mayadeen at the time that al-Kadhimi’s successive visits to Iran and Saudi Arabia countries fall within the framework of the latest talks which were held in Baghdad between Riyadh and Tehran.