Iraq not to allow anyone to threaten neighbors from its soil

MEHR: Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday that "We will not allow threats from our soil against our neighbors."

Heading an Iraqi delegation, Fuad Hussein visited Tehran on Wednesday evening and held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian followed by a joint press conference.

During the meeting, the latest developments in bilateral relations, developments in the region and some international issues of mutual interest, including developments in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine were discussed.

In the meeting, Hussein called the relations between Iran and Iraq intertwined and described Iran as a loyal neighbor to his country and said that Iraq continues its constructive role in de-escalating the tensions the region and trying to strengthen the element of dialogue between the countries of the region. 

"Iraq does not allow threats to be  posed from its territory against its neighbors," the top Iraqi diplomat said, noting that the security of Iran and Iraq are interconnected.

The process of the Vienna talks, the situation in Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen, as well as the development of relations between Iran and the Persian Gulf countries were among the other topics discussed during the meeting, which continued before and after Iftar.

At the joint press conference follwing the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister said that Iranian side stressed the strengthening of trade relations with Iraq as one of the important priorities of the two countries and emphasized facilitating travel for citizens of both countries and trade exchanges at the border crossings, and the finalization of the Basra-Shalamcheh railway.