VP: Iran-Iraq Should Use All Capacities To Promote Bilateral Ties

Tehran, Jan 23, IRNA – First Vice-President, by referring to brotherly and effective relations between Iran and Iraq in the region and the world, underlined using all capacities and opportunities to promote bilateral ties. According to the report of Presidential Office website, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, in a meeting with Iraqi Oil Minister Abdulkarim al-Luaybi said that Tehran and Baghdad should increase their relations, especially in the field of oil, energy and joint cooperation in regional security, so that they turn into powerful countries in the region and the world. Rahimi said that security in the region should be provided by regional countries and presence of aliens under pretext of establishment of security in the region will endanger security. 'They are here so that they can supply their own interests, while we want peace, friendship and security for all nations and countries,' said the vice president. He said that aggressive powers should get out of the region and let regional countries provide security by themselves. Al-Luaybi, who is currently the rotating chairman of OPEC, expressed pleasure with being here in Tehran and said that in the field of oil cooperation, the two countries will witness important and effective steps in the future. He said that enemies are following the same goal by their different plots in the region and added that in the current situation expansion of connections and cooperation between Iran and Iraq is very necessary. The visiting Iraqi minister continued that enemies of Iran, with various pretexts, imposed different sanctions against Iran and said that Iraq is trying that OPEC does not get involved in political affairs, because the issue of oil is something vital and strategic for the world and OPEC tries to provide interests of the oil exporting countries./end