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6 February 2013 - 13:15

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari discussed enhancement of bilateral ties and regional developments in a meeting in Cairo.

They made the remarks in a meeting on the sidelines of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit meeting underway in the Egyptian capital.

During the meeting, the two foreign ministers underlined expansion of bilateral ties between the two countries in different fields, including political and economic areas.

Last month, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani lauded the close ties between Tehran and Baghdad, and voiced Iran's enthusiasm for the further expansion of ties with the neighboring country.

Speaking at a meeting with the head of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Seyed Ammar al-Hakim here in Tehran, Larijani described the two countries' ties as friendly and brotherly.

Larijani said that Iran and Iraq have common civilization and culture, and added that Iran always favors further development of bilateral ties in all fields.

As regards the recent developments in Iraq, the Iranian speaker underlined the need to shun disputes by the Iraqi tribes and groups.

Hakim, for his part, briefed Larijani on the latest developments in Iraq and said that the enemies' plots will be thwarted through the officials' prudence and nation's vigilance.

During their meeting on Wednesday, Salehi and Zebari also discussed the Syrian crisis and the developments of the Muslim country.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that the Syrian people are the only ones who have the right to choose their leadership, and further called for increased efforts to achieve national reconciliation among the Syrians.

Iran is not interfering in Syria's internal affairs and believes that the Syrian people are the only ones to choose their leadership through free elections and this requires security to prevail in the country, Ahmadinejad said in an interview with al-Mayadeen satellite TV channel aired on Tuesday.
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News ID 184159