Jahangiri hails Abadi efforts for regional reconciliation

Iranian First Vice President Es’hagh Jahangiri made the remark in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday in Tehran.

Heading a high-ranking delegation comprising five ministers from his cabinet, al-Abadi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday as the second leg of his three-nation tour including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in a bid to ‘foster regional reconciliation’.

Jahangiri congratulated Iraq on its recent victories in the fight against ISIL terrorists in Mosul, stressing that the victories will have a great impact on the security of Iraq and the whole region.

Elsewhere, he noted the ample opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, saying "economic, political and security cooperation between Iran and Iraq has arrived at a point where we need a comprehensive trade and economic cooperation document for its further development.”

The Iraqi prime minister, for his part, condemned the June 7 terrorist attacks on Iran’s Parliament and Imam Khomeini shrine which claimed the lives of 17 people, adding "such acts show that terrorism knows no borders.”

He went on to stress that Iran and Iraq are in the same front fighting terrorism, adding "Takfiri terrorists are drawing their last breaths in Iraq. We will carry out certain measures in Mosul and along Syrian and Iraqi borders that will block the terrorists’ path completely.”

Elsewhere, he stressed Iraq’s resolve for expanding economic cooperation with Iran, saying the trade volume between the two counties has reached $13 billion.

He further noted that the two countries have many capacities to expand cooperation in the fields of oil and gas, electricity, desertification, tackling dust storms, as well as fighting smuggling of goods, drug trafficking and organized crime.