Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani visited Iraqi Kurdistan on Friday and held meetings with former and current officials of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
In his meeting with Barham Salih, former prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Larijani referred to his visit to Baghdad on Wednesday and Thursday and his meetings with various Iraqi officials and said the two sides have come to the understanding that Iran and Iraq are able to foil a large part of the plots hatched by foreigners and the states that sponsor the terrorists in the region, Fars news agency reported.
Salih, for his part, described Larijani’s visit to Iraqi Kurdistan as significant and said, “Iran is the most influential country in the region and it has provided enormous support to its friendly neighbor Iraq in the battle against terrorism.”
“At present, the Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis, and followers of other religions as well as all ethnic groups are suffering from the crimes of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and want the eradication of these criminals,” he stated.
He expressed hope that the terrorists would be wiped out from Iraqi soil very soon through collective cooperation.
Salih described relations between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan as very good and addressing Larijani said, “Your presence in Iraq can effectively help strengthen political, economic and cultural relations with Iraqi Kurdistan.”
Larijani also held a meeting with former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani on Friday in Sulaymaniyah. Later, Larijani and his delegation headed to Erbil where they were scheduled to meet President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Masoud Barzani.
