Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi began his talks with Iranian leaders shortly after his arrival in Tehran this afternoon at the head of a high-ranking delegation on his first official visit abroad since he took office in May. Al-Kazemi’s arrival in Tehran comes a day after his visit to Saudi Arabia was postponed due to the deteriorating health of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Al-Kazimi said in a press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran that the Iraqi people are eager for cooperative relations with Iran according to the specificity of each country and in accordance with the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
Al-Kazimi added that Iraq and Iran face the challenges of the Coronavirus and the drop in oil prices, which requires coordination between them according to the interests of both countries, and indicated that Iraq will not forget Iran's position by supporting it during the war against ISIS.
For his part, Rouhani pledged support to Iraq in combating the Coronavirus and providing it with all the medical equipment it needs and stressed that there is a will on both countries to raise trade exchange to 20 billion dollars and complete work on linking railways between the two countries.
Rouhani also stressed his country's readiness to stand with the Iraqi people to establish stability and security in Iraq and the region, stressing that Iraq is an important Arab country and can play a central role in this regard.
Al-Kazemi is scheduled to meet later with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.