No Third Party Capable of Driving Wedge between Iran, Iraq

“No power or third country is capable of creating discord between the two great nations of Iran and Iraq,” the president told reporters upon arrival at Tehran’s Mehrabad international airport on Wednesday night.

He described the trip as a turning point in the relations between the two neighboring countries and appreciated the warm welcome and great hospitality of the Iraqi government and nation.

“In this trip, we met and held talks with almost all senior Iraqi officials including the prime minister, president, and parliament speaker,” Rouhani said, adding that “very important issues were discussed in these meetings.”

He referred to agreements reached on banking ties, easing of visa restrictions, border issues, tourism, lowering trade tariffs, and cooperation in different fields as some of the achievements of the trip.

Rouhani went on to express hope that the ties between Iran and Iraq would develop further in the future, stressing that it would be in the interests of the two countries and the entire region.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Rouhani arrived in Baghdad on Monday at the official invitation of the Iraqi government. It was the Iranian president’s first official visit to Iraq during his tenure.

Rouhani held meetings with Iraqi President Barham Salih, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Mohamed al-Halbousi, and many other prominent figures.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Tehran and Baghdad reaffirmed their commitment to enhance bilateral relations in all fields of mutual interest.

Message end/