Shamkhani and Al-Araji signed an agreement on security cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad in the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani on Sunday.
The agreement will have a decisive impact on reducing and managing the unwanted security challenges between the two states, which are caused due to the mischief of anti-Islamic Establishment elements residing in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
Earlier on Sunday, Shamkhani in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani stressed that Iran-Iraq strategic cooperation ensures regional security and progress.
Stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran is always ready to contribute to the development of security, stability, and progress in Iraq, Shamkhani noted that a united, integrated, and powerful Iraq is the main cause of stability in the region.
Any tensions and crises in the border regions shared between Iran and Iraq are disruptive to the security and tranquility of the people and a deterrent factor in the development of border cities, he said, adding that Iran and Iraq should eliminate any internal and external tensions in the neighboring regions.
Al-Sudani, for his part, said that the signing of an important security agreement between Tehran and Baghdad shows that the security of the two countries is interwoven with each other.
He added that under its constitution and mutual obligations, the Iraqi government will not allow any party to use Iraq’s territory to undermine Iran's security.
Also, Shamkhani held separate meetings with Iraq’s Parliament Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi, and the chief justice of Iraq Faiq Zidan on Sunday afternoon.
During the meetings, the heads of the Iraqi legislative and judicial bodies congratulated Iran and Saudi Arabia on the restoration of mutual ties and emphasized Iraq's readiness to help advance the agreement.
In the meetings held, the parties pointed to the big potential for cooperation in economic, commercial, and investment fields between the two countries and stressed the need to remove barriers and accelerate joint economic projects.
Shamkhani, for his part, thanked the Iraqi government for its valuable efforts in hosting five rounds of talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia, which played a decisive role in reaching an agreement between the two states.
He called for putting punishing the perpetrators behind the assassination of anti-terror commanders as one of the priorities of the two countries and called for the use of a series of legal and international potentials in the legal process.
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