Iraqi FM in Iran to discuss bilateral relations, regional developments

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein is in Tehran to discuss bilateral ties as well as the latest developments in the Middle East with Iranian officials.

Hussein arrived in the Iranian capital Saturday morning for talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials, IRNA cited Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying in a statement.

During his two-day visit, the top Iraqi diplomat will discuss implementation of agreements reached earlier this year during the visit of Prime Minister Mostafa al-Kadhimi to Tehran.

The Iraqi prime minister visited the Iranian capital on July 21 at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation and at the invitation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Kadhimi said at the time that his visit to Iran was meant “to fortify the countries’ historical relations.” He said Baghdad-Tehran relations dated back hundreds of years, and were not simply based on continuity.

“Iraq will be treating defending Iran as a rubric [defining its performance],” he added.

He said Iraq’s foreign relations were “balanced” and free from all favoritism. That is why Iraq would never let its soil serve as a launch pad for any threat against “our friendly” neighbor, Kadhimi noted then.