TEHRAN — Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi met Iran's
recently-elected President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday to discuss the neighbours'
economic relations.
اضافة اعلان
Kadhemi is the first
foreign leader to visit the ultra-conservative Raisi, and he brought along a
"high level political and economic delegation", Iran's official IRNA
news agency said.
Kadhemi told joint
news conference that the pair "discussed certain joint economic questions
and strategic projects" as well as "increasing trade in the interests
of both nations".
Raisi,
who took office last month, said that "financial and monetary
relations" were also discussed.
As
Iran's neighbor to the west, Iraq has sought a mediating role between Tehran
and Arab nations.
It has tried to
broker Iran-Saudi talks to soothe tensions between the regional rivals.
Iranian and Saudi officials met in Baghdad in April, their first high-level meeting since Riyadh
cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 2016.
An Iraqi source had
said Friday that Kadhemi would raise energy cooperation and Iranian-Saudi
relations in Tehran.
Other hot topics
include Iraq's $6 billion debt to Iran, after shortages pushed it to turn to
its neighbor to cover one-third of its gas and electricity needs.
This
summer Iran suspended exports for several days over the outstanding amount.
Meanwhile "the
Iraqi prime minister gave us good news about visa exemptions" for
Iranians, Raisi said.
Baghdad would
"increase as much as possible" the number able to participate in the
Arbaeen pilgrimage in the Shiite shrine city of Karbala later this month, the
Iranian leader added.
Kadhemi's office had
last week announced up to 60,000 Iranians would be able to come.
Arbaeen marks the end
of the 40-day mourning period for the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the
Prophet Mohammed, by the forces of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD.
The number of visas
issued to foreign pilgrims permitted has dropped sharply in the past two years
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Iran and Iraq fought
a devastating 1980-1988 war, but the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Sunni
dictator Saddam Hussein led to massive Iranian influence in Iraqi politics.
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