President Hassan Rouhani has said Iran considers the stability and security of Iraq as its own, saying Tehran needs no permission to support the crisis-hit Arab country.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on the sidelines of the 69th UN General Assembly meeting.
"Iran is and will be supporting the Iraqi nation in view of its religious beliefs and the brotherly neighboring relations," he said, the Mehr news agency reported on Thursday.
"Iran never feels a need for anyone's permission to support the (Iraqi) nation and it will not allow any country to interfere in relations between the two countries." Al-Abadi said, "Iraq considers its relations with Iran as distinctive. The relations between the two countries are diverse and defined."
He said terrorism not only threatens the Iraq's entity but it is also a grave threat to the entirety of Islam and all countries.
The Iraqi prime minister added, "The consultations and aid that Iran offered to the Iraqi nation helped us stop terrorists from making further advances."
A United Iraq
In a separate meeting with Iraqi President Fuad Masum on Thursday, Rouhani said, "A strong Iraq is a united Iraq".
"The will of the Iranian nation and government is the maintenance of unity and integrity in Iraq," he said.
Rouhani said the disintegration of Iraq is neither to the benefit of the Iraqi nation nor the whole region, adding, "All the groups as Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds should play a part in the Iraqi government."
Masum, on his part, praised the honest and brotherly stance of Iran toward the Arab country and said, "Iraq is now approaching a political stability in which all representatives with various political persuasions are unanimous on issues of national interests such as the fight against terrorist groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria."
Key Regional Player
President Rouhani also held a meeting with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter on Thursday.
Burkhalter said, "Iran is a key player in the political scene of the region and in my country's opinion, it should be involved in any meeting or event held to discuss the Middle East affairs."
Rouhani, on his part, touched on nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers and said, "Iran has consented to all international inspections of its peaceful nuclear program and should enjoy the rights in this regard accordingly."
Georgia Ties Stressed
Rouhani also met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday.
Rouhani said there is great potential to boost bilateral cooperation, adding Iran is ready to help Georgia in its gas, water, and transportation projects. "Iran is ready to expand economic relations with Georgia, particularly in the implementation of its infrastructure plans."
Garibashvili, on his part, referred to long-standing historical relations between the two states and said, "Iran and Georgia can enhance bilateral economic and cultural relations and increase contacts between the two nations."
