The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Prime Minister of Iraq announced at a press conference on Tuesday after joint talks that they were determined to increase the volume of trade between the two countries to $20 billion by developing economic cooperation.

Speaking in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi of Iraq, Dr Hassan Rouhani said that he was confident that the visit would be a turning point in the development of Iran-Iraq relations as two friendly and brotherly countries, and that we are determined to increase the volume of exchanges between the two countries to $20 billion.

Welcoming the Iraqi Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation, Dr Rouhani said, "During the few months that have passed since Mr Al-Kadhimi took office as Prime Minister of Iraq, we have witnessed a good move in trade relations between the two countries and we talked about this today".

The President mentioned the issues related to coronavirus and health conditions in the region as the focus of the talks with the Iraqi Prime Minister and stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran assures the Iraqi government and people that it will be with them with all its might and facilities in all respects, whether in health and medicine.

Announcing his readiness for exchange of views and consultations between Iranian and Iraqi health officials, Dr Rouhani added, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has the necessary capacity and opportunity to meet the health and medical needs of Iraq".

The President mentioned the acceleration of the implementation of the Iran-Iraq agreements made during his visit to Baghdad in 2016 as another axis of talks with Al-Kadhimi and said, "The two countries are determined to implement and operationalise all the topics raised in those agreements, including the connection of Shalamcheh railway to Basra and dredging of Arvandrud river.

Dr Rouhani emphasised, "The Islamic Republic of Iran, as it confronted ISIL alongside the Iraqi people, government and army in previous years, is still ready to help the Iraqi people for the stability and security of Iraq and the region".

The President also stated, "I need to remember the two heroes of the fight against terrorism, namely General Martyr Qasem Soleimani and Martyr Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes. These martyrs were among the commanders who worked for the security of Iraq over the years".

The president mentioned that issues related to security and stability in the region and Iraq's role in the region as a powerful Arab state were among other topics discussed at the meeting.

In this joint press conference, the Iraqi Prime Minister said that the purpose of his visit to Tehran was to strengthen the historical, cultural and religious relations between the two countries and stated, "The most important purpose of this visit is to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the current situation where we are facing the outbreak of coronavirus and the fall in oil prices".

Mustafa al-Kadhimi pointed out, "The relations between the two countries are not due to their geographical location and common borders, but stem from deep historical, cultural and religious relations".

He stressed that during the bilateral talks, they also discussed regional issues and stability and peace in the region, emphasising, "Iraq is eager for excellent relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of the two countries".

Al-Kadhimi pointed out, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq stood side by side against terrorism and takfiri groups, and Iran was one of the first countries to stand by the Iraqi people in this way, and we will never forget this".

The Iraqi Prime Minister said, "Iraq's relations with Iran and other countries are based on good faith and we are trying to find ways to get the region out of the existing challenges through such cooperation".

He added, "Iran and Iraq both suffer from challenges and our nations are waiting to receive better services from their governments, and for this we need comprehensive cooperation between the two countries".

Al-Kadhimi stated that Iraq's foreign relations are based on balance and avoidance of any alignment, adding, "Iraq is a country that will never allow any threat from its territory to the Islamic Republic of Iran because the relations between the two countries go back hundreds of years and we must support these long-standing relations".

"We are looking for stability in Iraq, and our view and philosophy towards Iran is that it is a stable, strong and developing country, and we consider it in the interest of Iraq and the region, and on the other hand, we believe that Iraq should also be stable and strong so that it can be a supporter for Iran and the whole region," he said.

Al-Kadhimi stated that in bilateral talks, they emphasised the activation of agreements between the two countries and said, "In this regard, we emphasised the connection of the two countries' railways from Khorramshahr to Basra and we very much hope that the existing agreements between the two countries will be implemented as soon as possible".

The Iraqi Prime Minister also continued his speech by appreciating the support and assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Iraqi people in the fight against coronavirus.

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