Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Baghdad on Monday to discuss areas of mutual interest and common unresolved issues.
According to a statement by the Iraqi prime minister’s office, the two officials conferred on development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and issues related to shared waters, borders and visa regulations, ISNA reported.
Abdul Mahdi said in the meeting that improvement of mutual ties would benefit both nations as well as the region.
“I hope these visits would be a turning point in the two neighbors’ relations and help address longstanding problems such as the issue of water,” he said.
He also expressed his country’s readiness to establish a border industrial zone such as that of Iraq and Jordan.
Araqchi appreciated Iraq’s approach, hoping that President Hassan Rouhani’s upcoming trip to Baghdad, which is due in March, would boost efforts aimed at enhancing trade cooperation.
The deputy foreign minister was in Baghdad to attend the meeting of the Iran-Iraq Political Committee, where latest developments in bilateral relations were reviewed.
The event was jointly chaired by Araqchi and his counterpart, Nizar al-Khairallah.
