Iran FM offers readiness for serious cooperation with Iraq
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to seriously cooperate with Iraq in this field in the form of bilateral relations and using international capacities and frameworks.
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Iraqi Interior Minister Othman al-Ghanimi.
Expressing satisfaction with the good and developing relations between the two countries, he expressed hope for the formation of a new Iraqi government with the participation of all Iraqi political groups.
He discussed the joint fight against terrorism, controlling the dust phenomenon, consular cooperation, and lifting traffic restrictions, especially during Arbaeen rituals.
Referring to the long-standing history of relations between the two countries, he highlighted the simultaneous martyrdom of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes as an example that shows the strategic entanglement of the two countries.
Elaborating on environmental issues, he said that the harmful phenomenon of dust needs urgent attention. It not only directly affects Iran and Iraq, but also threatens the entire region.
He also stressed fighting terrorists by the two countries.
He described Arbaeen as the largest community in the world, geographically located in Iraq and Karbala.
Accordingly, the two countries had earlier signed a memorandum of understanding which has paved the ground for better cooperation in this regard.
He expressed hope that due to the relative elimination of the COVID19 and the good relations between the two countries, such as air travel, visa restrictions for land travel in the Arbaeen will be lifted.
Meanwhile, al-Ghanimi said that there is a constitution in Iraq that does not allow the security of neighboring countries to be disturbed on Iraqi soil.
Regarding the fight against the Zionist regime in Iraq, he said that the Iraqi parliament had recently passed a law criminalizing the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime.
Commenting on dust, he stressed that several factors such as drought, water shortage, drying up of marshes, military operations and bombings are effective and therefore any solution must be considered comprehensively.