Presence of Foreigners Creating Problems in Region: Iranian President

In comments at a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, held in Tehran on Sunday, Raisi hailed the Iraqi PM’s visit to Iran, saying, "Iran's relations with Iraq are not ordinary and traditional, but very deep relations that are rooted in the ancient culture and common beliefs of the two nations and the two countries, and today the high officials of the two countries have a deep and serious will to develop relations in all areas.”

Referring to the policy of his administration to expand relations with the neighbors, the president added, "Today, we see Iraq as the closest nation to the Iranian nation and we have the closest relations with Iraq in various fields. We have the closest and deepest relations with Iraq among our neighbors.

"In today's talks on political, economic and trade relations between the two countries, we agreed to expand the interactions in these areas,” he added, the president’s official website reported.

Raisi said that in talks with the Iraqi prime minister, it was agreed to speed up the implementation of the Shalamcheh-Basra railroad connection project, noting, "The operation of this project has a great impact on facilitating and increasing relations between the two countries.”

"In the negotiations between the two sides, it was decided to take new steps to facilitate monetary and banking relations between the two countries,” he stated.

Referring to the Iranian and Iraqi officials’ emphasis on strengthening relations between the countries of the region, the president said, "We believe that the talks among the countries' officials can solve the region's problems, and we stressed that the presence or interference of outsiders in the region does not solve any problem, and therefore we stressed the need for the officials of the countries in the region to negotiate to solve problems and issues with each other.”

Raisi also stressed the need to resolve the problems of the Yemeni people as soon as possible and establish a ceasefire in the Arab country, saying, "Lifting the siege of Yemen and the Yemenis, and the Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue can solve the problems of this country and end the suffering of the dear Yemeni people.”

"Without a doubt, the continuation of this war is fruitless and will not result in anything but the suffering of the Yemeni people, so this war must be ended as soon as possible and the ceasefire can be a step towards resolving the issues,” he stated.

"The Zionist Regime's efforts to normalize relations with the countries of the region will not provide security in any way. Iran and Iraq emphasize the need for peace and stability in the region and we believe that peace in the region happens through the role-playing of the officials of all countries in the region and normalization of relations with Israel or the presence of foreigners in the region will not solve any problem, but instead will add to the problems,” Raisi warned.

"Good bilateral and regional relations between Iraq and Iran can be very effective in role-playing of the two countries in the region and international issues,” he stressed.

Raisi added, "Iran is by Iraq's side in difficult days and we will always stand by each other. The interest and relationship between the two neighbors will never turn cold, and the relationship between them is improving day by day. Undoubtedly, the visit of Mr. Kadhimi, the Prime Minister, and his accompanying delegation to Iran could be a turning point in the relations between the two countries.”

For his part, the Iraqi premier referred to the historical, cultural and religious relations with Iran, saying, "During the talks, we discussed ways to improve the level of bilateral relations.”

Al-Kadhimi described his country's relations with Iran as very important and added, "Today we agreed to strengthen trade relations between the two nations and countries within the framework of common interests.”

He stated that the two countries also agreed to set a time frame to facilitate the pilgrimage of Iranian pilgrims who intend to visit the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) during Arbaeen, saying, "Until now, Iranian pilgrims could only obtain visas at Iraqi airports, but in recent weeks we have made it possible for Iranian pilgrims to obtain entry visas at border crossings with a certain number in terms of the number of pilgrims, albeit at the present time.”

"In another part of our talks, we discussed the challenges that the region is facing," he said, adding, "We agreed to work together to bring stability and peace to the region.”

"The two countries agreed to announce their support for a ceasefire in Yemen and the need for a dialogue to end the war that has caused a lot of troubles for the people of this country,” he stated.

"We also agreed to make joint efforts to meet the challenges of food security posed by the Ukraine war," Kadhimi added.