Iran, Iraq Ink Security Agreement
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran and Iraq on Sunday signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation.
The agreement was signed by Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and Iraq's National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad at a meeting attended by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.
Accompanied by the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and two Foreign Ministry deputies, Shamkhani has traveled to Baghdad to hold talks on economic and political subjects and sign the document on mutual security cooperation, which was being prepared for months.
The agreement commits Iran and Iraq to safeguarding the principles of good neighborliness and protecting the common border. The deal is expected to have a significant role in ending the illegal presence of anti-Iranian armed groups and the elements affiliated with the Zionist regime in the Iraqi areas adjacent to Iran’s northwestern border regions.
Shamkhani’s visit to Iraq, made days after a landmark trip to the United Arab Emirates, comes after Iran and Saudi Arabia announced their decision to restore ties.
Following days of intensive talks in Beijing, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on March 10 to resume their diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions within at most two months.
Arab governments neighboring Iran have eagerly welcomed the rapprochement between the two regional heavyweights.