Iran's Raisi meets Iraq's Rashid, criticize Western military presence
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Iraqi counterpart, Abdul Latif Rashid, touch on several regional issues in light of their meeting earlier in the day.
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Iranian Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, meets Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, center, as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi sits at the left, in Tehran, Iran, April 29, 2023 (AP)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met on Saturday with his Iraqi counterpart, Abdul Latif Rashid, and the two leaders discussed bilateral trade relationship and energy problems, among other issues, Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
In the wake of their meeting, the two presidents issued a joint statement stressing that ties between their countries were strategic and based on the countries' mutual interests, which are largely ignored by the West.
"We view the presence of US forces in the region as harmful to the security of the region," the Iranian President said.
Moreover, he noted that the trade between Iran and Iraq had grown to more than $10 billion.
Raisi also stressed that it was necessary for both states to further the partnership between them in energy and water resources.
At the conclusion of the joint press conference, the Iraqi leader lauded the two countries' continued cooperative battle with drug trafficking.
Raisi stressed earlier in the day the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and Iraq, describing it as very important for the security of the two countries.
The Iranian leader also pointed out that negotiations between the countries of the region led to improving security and stability, while the US presence in the region harms its stability.
The Iranian President said the distinguished relations between Iran and Iraq lead to good cooperation at the regional and international levels.
On his part, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid indicated that his visit to Iran comes to confirm the strength of the ties between Iraq and Iran, especially the historical and geographical ones.
Rashid said the Iraqi people will not forget the stance of the Islamic Republic when Iraq suffered from the oppression of the dictatorship.
The Iraqi President highlighted that the relations between Iraq and Iran were coherent and getting stronger, stressing the importance of boosting these relations through coordination and continuous cooperation at all levels.
The meeting between the two heads of state comes after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian revealed Friday that Raisi was set to visit Syria in the coming weeks.
Amir-Abdollahian also touched on the relations between Tehran and Damascus, stressing that they are "excellent, deep, and strategic", welcoming the strengthening of relations between Syria, the Arab world, and the regional states.
The top diplomat stressed that President Al-Assad, the government, the army, and the people stood against the terrorist war and eventually won, stressing that the military advisors of the Islamic Republic helped Syria confront the terrorist war waged against it.
