Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has arrived in Iran's capital Tehran and welcomed by President Ebrahim Raeisi while leading a high-ranking delegation in his first visit to the neighboring nation since taking office last year.
Rashid and his accompanying delegation were warmly received Saturday morning by the Iranian president during a welcoming ceremony at the Saadabad Palace, where the two counterparts held talks following the event.
The visit by Rashid, who was elected as the head of the Iraqi government in October 2022, comes in response to an official invitation by President Raeisi, who stated that economic, trade, monetary and banking issues as well as the export of electricity and gas were among the matters of discussions on the agenda of the talks between the two sides.
The Iranian top executive official further pointed out that Tehran and Baghdad hold common positions on mutual, regional and international relations which would definitely help the two nations promote ties at regional and international levels.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani visited Iran just a month after the start of his tenure in late October to hold key talks with Iranian officials on ways to bolster bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region.
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During Sudani’s visit, Raeisi said ties between Tehran and Baghdad are rooted in the two nations' shared beliefs and expressed hope the two sides would further expand cultural, political, social and security cooperation.
Tehran-Baghdad ties beyond the ordinary
At a press conference following the meeting, Raeisi further lauded “good” relations between Iran and Iraq in the political, economic, trade and cultural fields, and underscored the determination of both nations in expanding mutual ties.
He went on to describe Tehran-Baghdad ties as “strategic” and beyond ordinary relations with other countries, noting, “The level of commercial and economic ties between Iran and Iraq exceeds $10 billion and this figure can upgrade to a higher level.”
Raeisi went on to say, “As relations between the two countries continue in the fields of infrastructure, water and electricity, gas and energy, we can use the existing capacities to carry out further exchanges between the two governments and meet [relevant] requirements.”
US presence in region remains a threat: Raeisi
Pointing to the signing of a security and defense cooperation memorandum between Iran and Iraq last year, the Iranian president also underlined that “the security memorandum…will help the security of the entire region” and that the slightest insecurity in Iraq would spell insecurity for Iran.
“The security of Iraq is important for Iran,” he insisted.
Pointing to the persisting presence of the US occupation forces in the region, the President Raeisi added, “As much as we consider useful the negotiations between the regional countries, we do not consider the presence of foreign forces in the region to be useful and we regard the presence of Americans as a threat to the security of the region.”
“Iran's ties with Iraq and other countries of the region are based on common interests, but America only thinks of its own interests,” Raeisi emphasized.