Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Latif Rashid Saturday stressed the importance of deep-rooted relations between the two sides in all fields. Iran and Iraq have "good" relations in cultural, economic, commercial and political fields, Raisi told reporters in remarks following meeting with Rashid in Tehran. On Saturday, Iraq President Rashid was officially welcomed by Iranian President Raisi, at Saadabad Palace in Tehran. The two leaders listened to the Iraqi and Iranian national anthems, and reviewed a lineup of the honor guard prior to the bilateral talks. In the talks, the two leaders discussed Baghdad-Tehran relations of friendship and how to boost them and strengthen their cooperation, in the areas of energy, water resources, environment, climate and tourism in the ways that would most serve both nations' ties. Raisi added that the two countries are determined to develop their ties, indicating that the relations are "strategic". Raisi underlined the importance of cooperation among the region's countries to combat systematic crimes and drugs, lauding Iraq's efforts in that regard. He said that he agreed with Rashid on continuing negotiations between Iraq's energy minister and Iraq's minister of water resources to settle the legal and technical issues between them on water. Meanwhile, Rashid emphasized that the relations between the two sides are "firm, coherent and unchangeable", calling for developing them on all levels. He called for taking into account Iraq's water quota from the rivers flowing into the Tigris and Euphrates, calling for boosting cooperation to combat terrorism and drugs. He welcomed the return of the Saudi-Iranian diplomatic ties, saying this step will lead to "stability and security of the region". Rashid arrived in Tehran earlier in the day upon an official invitation from Raisi to discuss means of boosting bilateral ties, and international and regional issues of common concern. Furthermore, the two leaders emphasized the importance of further collaboration and coordination on the issues of common concern, so as to promote security and stability in the region. After the meeting, official talks between the two countries' delegations were held. The discussions were on mechanisms that would further enhance positive cooperation. The Iraq's president was accompanied by several ministers, advisors and senior officials. — Agencies
