29 Mar 2024
Monday 9 September 2013 - 13:48
Story Code : 48831

Iraq hails Iran's efforts for peaceful settlement of Syrian crisis

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki underlined Tehran's influential role in the settlement of the regional disputes, and called for more interaction between Iran and Iraq to encourage all sides involved in the Syrian crisis to partake in national dialogue and solve their differences through diplomatic ways.

In a meeting with the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday, the Iraqi premier asked Iran for continuation of its diplomatic initiatives aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis through holding national dialogues and diplomatic moves.


The Iranian foreign minister in his first foreign trip arrived in Baghdad early on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues with high-ranking Iraqi officials.


"That we have decided to take our first trip to the friendly and brotherly country of Iraq indicates the importance of relations with the neighbors, specially Iraq, for the Islamic Republic and for the Government of Prudence and Hope (as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called it during his presidential campaign)," Zarif told reporters upon arrival at Baghdad airport.


The Iranian top diplomat said that he was due to confer on the bilateral issues and the current "dangerous regional conditions" with Iraqi officials.


Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who had come to the airport to welcome his Iranian counterpart, also underlined the necessity for the further strengthening of ties with Tehran.


Also on Sunday, Zarif met with Iraq's Acting President Khudayr Musa Jafar Abbas al-Khuzai and Prime Minister Al-Maliki in Baghdad.


At the meeting with Khuzai, the Iranian foreign minister discussed bilateral ties between Tehran and Baghdad and the most important developments in the region.


Zarif conveyed President Rouhani's greetings to the Iraqi acting president and appreciated his presence in Rouhani's swearing-in ceremony in early August in Tehran.


On Sunday, Zarif and the Iraqi premier discussed the latest conditions in the relations between Tehran and Baghdad as well as the recent developments in the region.


Iran and Iraq have enjoyed growing ties ever since the overthrow of the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, in 2003.


Both sides are working on a series of plans to take wide strides in expanding their ties, in economic fields in particular.


Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.


According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence.


By Fars News Agency


 


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