President Rouhani made the remark in a meeting with the Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri in Tehran on Saturday, while expressing his pleasure over the recent victories of Iraqi nation and army in combating terrorism.
He went on to add, “the Islamic Republic of Iran will stand by the Iraqi nation and government in the fight against terrorism, as it has so far done.”
President Rouhani underscored development of cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad, especially in economic fields, in the post-JCPOA era, and called on the two countries’ parliaments to use this opportunity for facilitating the process of expanding bilateral relations.
“The Iraqi parliament can guarantee and bolster national unity by playing a unified and integrated role in combating terrorism,” said President Rouhani, while calling the Iraqi parliament the symbol of unity and amity among all ethnic and religious groups.
Rouhani deemed terrorism a scourge threatening the whole region and the world, adding “regrettably, some countries in the region are influenced by various factors, such as the Zionists, and are following a wrong path; this is while nations want all these countries to endeavor for the development and prosperity of the region."
For his part, the visiting Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri stressed cementing ties between the two countries, adding “Iran and Iraq must strengthen cooperation and make efforts to establish peace and security in Iraq and across the region.”
He also deemed development of economic relations in line with mutual interests of the two countries, and voiced Iraqi Parliament's full support for bilateral cooperation.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood by the Iraqi nation and government and has played the most significant role in combating terrorism,” he said, while attributing the country's victories against terrorists to the unity among all Iraqi people, including the Army, popular forces, tribes and various ethnicities.
He further stressed that settling regional issues hinges on cooperation and unity among all involved countries, calling for closer security cooperation with Iran for establishing peace and stability across the region.