President Rashid stresses depth of relations between Iraq and Syria

INA-  Baghdad


The President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, stressed on Sunday the depth of the existing relations between Iraq and Syria.

A statement by the Presidency of the Republic, received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), stated that "President of the Republic Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received today, at the Baghdad Palace, the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Miqdad, in the presence of Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein," noting that "Minister Faisal Al-Miqdad conveyed at the beginning of the meeting to President Abdul-Latif Jamal Rashid, greetings and appreciation of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, and his wishes to the Iraqi people for continued development and prosperity.

According to the statement, the President of the Republic stressed "the depth of the existing relations between Iraq and Syria, and the need to strengthen and document them in various fields in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and the two brotherly peoples, and consultation and coordination on issues of common interest on the regional and international arenas, and the importance of Iraq's role in solving problems in the region," pointing out to "The necessity of cooperation in order to pursue the remnants of terrorism, control borders and combat drugs in order to establish security and stability."

It pointed out that "Iraq was stressing the importance of the return of Syria's seat in the Arab League, recognizing the importance of this on the level of the region as a whole, as it exerted its utmost efforts to achieve its participation in the recent Arab summit."

It also pointed out that "Iraq, with all its cities and provinces, stood in support of the brotherly Syrian people in the disaster of the earthquake, which reflects the brotherly bond between the two peoples."

For his part, Minister Faisal al-Miqdad appreciated "Iraq's honorable stances towards Syria, and its remarkable diplomatic role in order to restore its seat to the Arab League," noting "Syria's aspiration to strengthen fraternal relations between the two countries and peoples, and joint action to confront terrorism and enhance economic and trade exchange."

He praised "the role of the late President Mam Jalal Talabani in strengthening the bonds between the Iraqi and Syrian peoples," expressing his "happiness for the important developments in Iraq at the political, developmental and security levels, which were positively reflected at the regional and international levels."

He also appreciated Iraq's "positive and clear role in helping Syria, especially during the period of the earthquake."