SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Iran opposes any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Iraq in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih.
Rouhani voiced Iran’s support for Iraq’s stability, security and independence as well as territorial integrity, according to semi-official news agency Mehr.
“Strengthening the dignity, authority and independence of Iraq and promoting the regional and international status of this country is of special importance for us,” Mehr quoted Rouhani as saying.
Rouhani further said Iran considered Iraq as a “good friend and neighbor”, seeing the security of Iraq as its own security.
“We oppose any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Iraq and consider it to the detriment of this country and the whole region, and we believe that the security of the region must be provided by the countries of the region themselves,” he added.
He also said Americans had “double standards” in the fight against terrorism and that their actions on the Iraqi-Syrian border region “are ambiguous”.
“The Americans have always played a destructive role in the region, and the presence of American troops in the region has not helped establish peace and stability,” he continued.
The Iraqi president, for his part, said Iraq also considered relations with Iran as “strategic and developing,” according to Mehr.
The Iraqi presidency separately said in a statement that Salih and Rouhani had discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, and ways to develop them in a manner that serves the interests of Iraqis and Iranians.
They also discussed the importance of easing tensions in the region and commitment to dialogue in tackling outstanding issues, according to the statement.
