TEHRAN (Iran News) –Tehran, Baghdad Agree to Broaden All-Out Cooperation. Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi yesterday in the joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister announced the visa waiver for the citizens of the two countries, as well as the will of the two countries to develop the railway corridor.
“We are very pleased with the presence of the high-ranking delegation of the friendly and brotherly country of Iraq in our country and thank God, the relations between the two countries in the political, economic and cultural fields are very good, but they can be further developed,” said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in his press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Sunday.
He also added that the two sides emphasized the will to develop Iran-Iraq relations during the meeting.
“Iran-Iraq relations can increase despite the wishes of the enemies,” he noted.
Stating that the role of the two countries in the region, the world and international relations can affect Iran-Iraq relations, the President said, “What was discussed in the specialized meetings between the honorable ministers, as well as in the meeting between me and the Prime Minister of Iraq is all for the development of relations. Some decisions were made in these meetings which we hope will be implemented soon.”
“Visa waiver for citizens of both countries was Mr. Prime Minister’s good news,” he added, saying, “The will of Iran and Iraq to develop the railway corridor and accelerate the construction of the Shalamcheh-Basra railway is also a good step that we hope will be done quickly with his order and the follow-up of the relevant ministers.”
The financial and monetary issue between the two countries was also one of the issues that were discussed, Raisi said.
Referring to the approach of Arabaeen, he said, “We are on the threshold of Arbaeen and the situation of coronavirus pandemic has created conditions not only for the two countries but also for the world, and the preservation of the pilgrims is a very important issue.”
“The corona situation has caused some limitations in Iraq, but at the same time, the Iraqi Prime Minister has promised to increase the number of pilgrims as much as possible so that more pilgrims can enter Iraq for the Arbaeen ceremony,” the President added.
He also expressed hope that the relations between the two countries will increase day by day despite the wishes of the enemies of the two countries.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, for his part, said, “My people in Iraq want to strengthen relations with all their neighbors.”
During the press conference, the Iraqi premier thanked the Iranian president for his warm welcome and added that he was in Iran to congratulate him on winning the Iranian presidency once again.
He added that in today’s meeting the two politicians reviewed a series of issues related to bilateral relations. The Iraqi premier added that this is the second time he is visiting Iran, which shows the importance of relations between the two countries.
Al-Kadhimi touched upon the cultural similarities between two neighboring countries, saying that the two countries share 1,400-kilometer borders while their bilateral relations are much broader.
He expressed his gratitude for Iran’s help during the fight against the ISIL terrorist group, stressing, “My people in Iraq have a democratic culture and they want to strengthen relations with all their neighbors.”
“Iraq encourages and supports all the efforts of the Islamic Republic. Iraq’s stance regarding Iran is firm, and the Iraqi government and people stand by the Iranian people and government at the time of all challenges, problems and under different circumstances,” the Iraqi prime minister also underlined.
