No limit for ties with Iraq, says Khamenei

Tehran – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that there is no limit for expansion of ties between Iran and Iraq.

Tehran and Baghdad can work together closely in a wide range of areas, and there are no limitations to the development of ties as well as cooperation between the two, Xinhua reported citing Khamenei during a meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

He said one of the areas for cooperation would be science.

The Iranian leader also praised the performance of the Iraqi government in the country over the past few years. “The efforts you are making for your country today are invaluable. Of course, Iraq has still far more needs to be met.”

The Iraqi minister expressed hope that his talks with the Iranian officials during the current visit would lead to an expansion of mutual ties in various fields.

Also, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during a meeting with Maliki Thursday, described his country’s ties with neighbouring Iraq as “strat! egic”.

He urged for developing mutual ties with Iraq in all fields, particularly economic and infrastructure areas, on a long- term basis.

Maliki arrived in Tehran Wednesday on an official visit. He exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments with senior Iranian officials and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties in various sectors.

The US removal of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2003, and the ensuing rise of Iraqi Shiites helped by Iran, created a new dynamic between two the neighbours. The two nations, which fought each other in the 1980s, have re-established close ties.