Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stressed in a phone call on Saturday "the importance of regional initiatives aimed at convergence of views" and discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries.

In a statement, Al-Kadhimi's Media Office said the Iraqi Prime Minister assured Raisi that "the relations between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran are distinguished," adding that "Iraq aspires to expand these relations."

For his part, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hailed "Iraq's efforts to bring together views and strengthen the security and stability of the region.

Raisi also expressed his "condemnation of any action by any party aimed at destabilizing Iraq and its security and affecting its regional and international standing."

It is noteworthy that the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, hosted four rounds of direct talks between Saudi Arabian and Iranian officials that focused on the contentious points between the two sides.

On Friday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed in a phone call preparations for the fifth round of the Iranian-Saudi talks, in an effort to end a six-year estrangement between Tehran and Riyadh.

Amir-Abdollahian had expressed that Iran and Saudi Arabia are important countries in the region and the Islamic world, hoping that dialogue and cooperation will help Tehran and Riyadh to solve the region's problems.