Iran parliament speaker visits Iraq’s Erbil

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has wrapped up a four day regional tour here in the Kurdish capital city of Erbil.
The Iranian parliament speaker arrived in Iraq with two main issues topping his agenda: The fight against extremism and terrorism, and ways to bolster the already strong ties between Tehran and Baghdad. In his meetings with top Kurdish officials, Larijani reiterated Tehran’s support for the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government as well as both Iraqi and Kurdish forces in their fight against terror. Larijani kicked off his visit to Iraq from the Holy city of Najaf where he met with Iraq’s Supreme religious authority, Grand Ayatullah Sayyed Ali Sistani. He also met with top Iraqi officials in Baghdad where he criticized the so-called US-led coalition to fight back ISIL. Larijani advised some regional and international powers to change their terrorism-spreading policies in the region. For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi commended Tehran’s full support for his country during this crisis. Iraqi President Fouad Massoum also lauded Iran for being the first country to back the Iraqi people in their fight against terror. Parliamentarians here in the Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region saw Larijani’s visit as a goodwill gesture and a further push to resolve thorny issues between Erbil and Baghdad. Before arriving in Iraq, Iran’s parliament speaker visited Syria and Lebanon to discuss the issue of terrorism in the Middle East and ways to promote bilateral ties with his host countries.