IRNA � President of Iraq emphasized the long-lasting relations between his country and Iran and urged the expansion of economic and security ties.

Iraq has strong relations with Iran and wants to increase it to help the economy and security of the region grow, said Barham Salih in an article published in Iraqi Kurdistan region�s local media.

He pointed to reforming infrastructure, combating corruption, solving unemployment, legislating election law, and negotiating to solve the issues between Erbil and Baghdad as the Iraq�s priorities for the next four years.

He stressed that devising a law for elections that ensures transparency can restore trust between citizens and government.

He reiterated that fighting terrorism incurred heavy costs to Iraq but its annihilation demands the continuity of regional and international collaborations because the existence of terrorism directly affects the security of all countries.

Iraqi president also referred to Iraq�s other issues like water crisis, control of the borders, organizing business activities, and religious and cultural tourism, urging Iraq�s neighbors to reach agreements based on mutual respect with his country.