Iranian FM, Iraqi PM Hold Talks in Munich
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, in a meeting in the German city of Munich, exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.
In the meeting held on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the two sides discussed a whole host of issues, including ways to promote Tehran-Baghdad ties in all spheres.
Earlier and in his speech during the Munich Security Conference on the same day, the Iraqi premier had highlighted Iran’s role in his country’s fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group.
Abadi was quoted by Alsumaria news as saying that Iraqis are in the front line of the fight against extremists, adding, "Iran, which considers ISIL a threat, is standing beside us."
Iraq has been facing the growing threat of terrorism, mainly posed by the ISIL terrorist group.
The ISIL militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the volunteer forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, have blunted the edge of the ISIL offensive.
Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq’s solidarity and prosperity.
