Iraqi PM meets Iranian president over boosting bilateral ties

BAGHDAD, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Monday held a meeting with visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss promotion of bilateral relations and the developments in the region.

A statement by his office said that Abdul Mahdi received Rouhani and his accompanying delegation and the two sides discussed "cooperation in combating terrorism and promoting security and stability efforts."

They also discussed cooperation in the fields of economic and trade, as well as oil, reconstruction, investment, industrial zones and border crossings, the statement said.

The meeting was attended by a number of ministers and high-ranking officials from both sides, including Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim and Oil Minister Thamir al-Ghadhban, in addition to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to the statement.

Earlier in the day, Rouhani arrived in Baghdad on a three-day official visit heading a delegation of officials and businessmen and held a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih who told a joint press conference that common security in Iraq and Iran and other countries in the Middle East region needs further cooperation.

"We want to create a system built on common economic interests among the peoples of the region to get rid of conflicts that engulfed the region," Salih said after an official reception at the presidential palace in Baghdad Green Zone.

Salih also expressed thanks to Iran on its support to Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, asserting that "the victory against terrorism is not complete and the countries of the region must cooperate to achieve that."

For his part, Rouhani said that Iraq can play an important role in solving the problems of the Middle East region, asserting that the two countries can boost their cooperation in various fields.

The visit comes as the United States has been exerting sanctions on Iran's oil industry and its banking and transport sectors, after Washington pulled out from the 2015 nuclear deal last May. Enditem