Iran SNSC chief Shamkhani holds talks in Iraq after UAE visit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Mar 10:11
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The visit comes as part of efforts to enforce Iran's 'neighborliness diplomacy' strategy, as per Iranian news agency Nour News.

Iran Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani speaks during a meeting in Tehran. (AFP)

After high-stakes trips to Beijing and Abu Dhabi aimed at rebooting diplomatic and security ties with regional neighbors, Iran Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani arrived in Iraq.

The visit comes as part of efforts to enforce 'neighborliness diplomacy' strategy, as per Iranian news agency Nour News.

Shamkhani will reportedly meet the Iraqi President, Prime Minister, and Parliament Speaker during his visit, in order to sign a memorandum of understanding on border security, Mehr news agency reported.

Iraq is Iran's second economic partner, with an annual trade volume of $10 billion, and raising the level of their cooperation requires addressing some of the security challenges that plague relations between the two countries, as well as accelerating the implementation of economic agreements and providing impetus to banking cooperation.

Shamkhani's visit comes amid thawing ties between Iran and several Gulf countries.

Last week, the top Iranian official visited the UAE with the aim of restoring bilateral ties.

After seven years of strained ties, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations and re-open their embassies series of talks brokered in Beijing, China under the auspices of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.

Simultaneously, several Arab countries reflected their positive views on the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia most notably the UAE, Egypt, and Qatar. The countries touched on the subject by expressing hope for the future.