Iranian Parliamentary Delegation Due in Iraq Thursday


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A delegation of Iranian parliamentarians is set to visit Iraq for talks with the Arab country’s high-ranking officials, a lawmaker said.

Amir Khojasteh, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s Councils and Internal Affairs Commission, told the Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday that 5 members of the parliamentary commission are scheduled to travel to Iraq on Thursday.

The Iranian delegates are scheduled to hold meetings with a number of Iraqi officials during their stay in the neighboring country, the lawmaker said, adding that the visit will last up to 5 days.

During the tour of the Arab country, Khojasteh added, Iranian legislators will review the process of the recent parliamentary elections in Iraq.

The lawmakers will also have meetings with heads of the Iraqi parliament’s commissions and other senior figures, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, he added.

On Monday, Iranian parliament speaker praised the successful parliamentary elections recently held in Iraq as a sign of the promotion of democracy in the Middle East country.

Holding the elections with a high voter turnout shows the growth and depth of democracy in Iraq which can serve as a role model for other countries, Larijani said.

On April 30, Iraq held its first parliamentary election since the 2011 US military withdrawal from the country. Millions of Iraqis went to the polls braving threats of bomb attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Twenty million Iraqis were eligible to vote in the polls. According to the country’s Election Commission, the turnout was 60 percent.