Rouhani places stress Iran, Iraq roles in region

Speaking with the Former Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani called for promotion of multilateral cooperation among the countries of the region in different fields such as transit, railways and combating terrorism.
“Fortunately, relations between the people and different governments of Iran and Iraq have always been on a positive trend and the authorities of the two countries have followed the path of further development of these relations well,” he said.
Rouhani added, “today, we should attempt to deepen Tehran-Baghdad cooperation in different fields such as trade, economy and higher education through developing relations between political activists, parties and universities."
Former Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi, for his part, described Rouhani's visit to Iraq as very important and said, “the two countries have had very closer relations and cooperation in the recent years, especially in fighting terrorism in the region."
“Today, we should attempt to further cement these relations in different fields such as economy, culture, and trade,” he added.

Also on Tuesday, President Rouhani met and held talked with the former Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki, saying that “Iraqi distinguished figures and politicians, in any position, play an important role in the development, security and stability of the country and Tehran-Baghdad relations."
The President also appreciated the stances of the parliament and previous governments in Iraq for cooperation with Iran.
For his part, Nouri al-Maliki maintained that “Iran and Iraq can further deepen their ties in different fields such as economy, trade, investment and regional and international fields."