“There is a way that is not that of a form of hegemony, imperialism, a model that would be dictated from outside,” Macron told the summit at Sweimeh on the shores of the Dead Sea.

Caught for years in a delicate balancing act between its two main allies the United States and Iran, Iraq only recently arrived at a fragile compromise government after a year of political stalemate.

It has endured nearly two decades of turmoil since the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The extremist ISIS group seized roughly one third of the country’s territory before its defeat more than three years later.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reiterated that Iraq must not be used to threaten neighboring countries.

“We do not allow using our territories to threaten neighboring countries… Iraq dissociates itself from the policies of axes,” al-Sudani said.

The premier also called for strengthening “joint work to fight extremist [ideology].”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II also voiced the importance of Iraq’s security, saying it was “an essential pillar of the region’s security.”

“We believe in the region’s need for stability and comprehensive peace,” he added.