Iran, Iraq sign security cooperation agreement

TEHRAN, March 20: Iran and Iraq on Sunday signed an agreement on security cooperation in Baghdad, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported. The deal was signed by visiting Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani and Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji following their meeting earlier in the day, in a ceremony also attended by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. According to the IRNA, the agreement, prepared over the past months, will have an important role in handling and managing the security challenges stemming from the “hostile” actions by “anti-Iran” groups based in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The SNSC chief said any tension and crisis in areas along the common border would undermine the two peoples’ security and peace and act as obstacles to the development of the two countries’ border cities. He called for taking “decisive” actions against internal or external tensions and crisis-provoking factors by “nipping them in the bud.” He added it is of utmost importance to put an immediate end to the “evil” actions of the armed anti-Iran groups and mercenaries as well as the military and intelligence threats by the American forces based in Iraq.

The Iraqi prime minister, for his part, said Iraq’s government and people always appreciate their Iranian brothers’ support and assistance. He added that the signing of the agreement between Baghdad and Tehran indicated that the Iranian and Iraqi officials view the two countries as “united as one,” giving the assurance that the Iraqi government will not allow any party to use its soil to compromise Iran’s security. At Araji’s invitation, Shamkhani arrived in Baghdad on Sunday morning. He was accompanied by governor of the Central Bank of Iran Mohammadreza Farzin and two Foreign Ministry deputies.During the trip, Shamkhani also met Iraqi parliament speaker, Mohamed al-Halbousi, and Faiq Zaidan, head of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council.