Iraqi, Iranian presidents lead extensive talks on bilateral matters

Iraq's President Abdullatif Rashid and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who is currently visiting Iraq, led a round of extensive talks involving senior officials from both countries, covering various bilateral matters. Rashid expressed Iraq's strong support for enhancing cooperation with Iran to combat terrorism and extremism, secure border safety, and work towards reducing regional tensions, according to a statement from the Iraqi Presidency. Rashid urged Pezeshkian to work on releasing shared border river waters and to reach mutually satisfactory agreements on water sharing as part of tackling climate change challenges. Regarding Iraq's financial obligations to Iran, Rashid called for finding common ground and a suitable framework for settling these dues reciprocally. Meanwhile, Pezeshkian proposed forming a joint committee to develop a strategic cooperation program between the two countries in sectors like health, environment, industry, security, and tourism, including the Kurdistan region. T he statement noted that the discussions were attended by several ministers from both sides: Iraq's ministers of Foreign Affairs, Education, Higher Education, Electricity, and Communications, and Iran's ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economic and Financial Affairs, Roads and Urban Development, as well as the Governor of the Central Bank, along with the ambassadors of both countries and several advisors. Pezeshkian arrived in Iraq earlier in the day, leading a high-level government delegation. He was received at the airport by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Sudani. Source: Kuwait News Agency