Baghdad: No place for armed groups threatening neighboring countries
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi met in Baghdad with Iranian Assembly of Experts Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to discuss “the prospects for cooperation and joint action, and ways to strengthen and enhance bilateral relations in various fields, in a manner that serves the common interests of the two countries and their neighboring peoples.”
While identical Iraqi sources stated that the visit goes beyond its declared parliamentary nature and focuses on political and security files, foremost among which is the fate of weapons held by armed factions as the deadline set by the Iraqi government for monopolizing arms within state institutions approaches on September 30, Iraqi National Security Advisor Qassim Al-Aboudi emphasized that “the Iraqi Constitution does not permit the existence of armed groups that threaten the security of neighboring countries and the region.”
The media office of Al-Zaidi stated in a statement published by the official “Waa’i News Agency” on Wednesday that Al-Zaidi affirmed “the depth of relations between Iraq and Iran, and the historical, geographical, and religious ties and commonalities that unite the two countries,” praising “the supportive stances toward Iraq, particularly the support provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran to Iraq during its war against the Daesh terrorist gangs.”
Qalibaf arrived earlier in the Iraqi capital for an official three-day visit, which he began with a press conference held at the “Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis monument,” located near the site of their assassination close to Baghdad International Airport.
He stated that his visit “comes in the context of shaping the new regional order, and the insistence on enhancing bilateral cooperation among all countries in the region without any foreign interference.”
Meanwhile, Al-Aboudi stressed during his reception of European ambassadors to Iraq that the government continues to implement the security provisions of its program related to monopolizing arms within state institutions, alongside strengthening security agreements with fraternal and friendly countries.
