Tehran (IP) - Iranian President in a meeting with the Iraqi Foreign Minister, said that the two countries' economic potential could expand the volume of trade to $20 billion per year.

Iran Press/Iran news: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday in meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein Speaking on Wednesday evening during a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, said," Shalamcheh-Basra railway as a commercial route can diversify the transportation routes between Iran and Iraq".

The President also stressed that for Iran, supporting stability, security, independence, territorial integrity, as well as dignity and authority of Iraq, and promoting its regional and international status are of special priority, adding, "Cooperation of the two countries during the invasion of ISIS forces is a great example of strengthening bilateral relations to save the region from Takfiri terrorists".

Stating that Tehran opposes any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Iraq and considers it to the detriment of the Iraqi people and the whole region, President Rouhani added, "The cowardly assassination of Martyr Ghasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was an example of the most shameful foreign intervention in Iraq's internal affairs, which was carried out in the form of state terrorist operations and targeted the heroes of the victory over ISIS."

The President also stressed that Iran supports Iraq's presence in regional interactions and believes that Iraq is an important party in the region's political and security interactions.

President Rouhani expressed hope that the new US administration would conclude that its presence in the region was detrimental to security and would reconsider this policy.

During the meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein described the Iranian President's visit to Iraq as historic and unforgettable, saying, "This visit, while deepening bilateral relations, creates more opportunities for cooperation and speeds up the implementation of agreements".

The Iraqi Foreign Minister said, "According to the various agreements reached by the officials of the two countries, interactions and relations in various economic and trade fields are being pursued, and Iraq seeks to expand and fully develop relations with Iran".

The Iraqi Foreign Minister added, "The Iraqi people and government are always grateful for Iran's support, and cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Iraq, especially ISIS, and will never forget this".

He said, "Baghdad is persistently pursuing the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq and this is being done through negotiations and actions that have been taken".

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