In a meeting with the visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday, Ahmadinejad said Iran and Iraq should use all capacities to develop bilateral relations, solve regional issues in favor of their nations, and establish peace and justice.
“If Tehran and Baghdad are powerful and dignified, there will be no place in the region for the enemies of nations, including the US and the Zionist regime [of Israel],” Mehr News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
“The hegemonic powers that have been slapped [in the face] by the two nations are trying to keep countries like Iran and Iraq weak in order to bring the entire region under their domination and control by creating dissention and sowing discord,” he added.
Ahmadinejad went on to say that all the historical, cultural and political factors in Iran-Iraq relations call on both countries to move toward the growth and dignity of the two nations.
Maliki, for his part, said Tehran and Baghdad can join hands in bolstering stability and security in the region and overcoming existing challenges through understanding and paying respect for the rights of all nations.
Maliki arrived in Tehran at the head of a high-ranking delegation for an official two-day visit on Sunday and was welcomed at the airport by Iran's Energy Minister Majid Namjou.
Earlier on Sunday, he met with the Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi and parliament speaker Ali Larijani.
The Iraqi premier is accompanied by several high-ranking officials including ministers of trade, electricity, industry and minerals as well as a number of lawmakers.
press tv/281
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says there is no barrier to the development of political, economic and cultural relations between Iran and its western neighbor Iraq.
News ID 181726
