Iraqi PM: Baghdad against unilateral actions that contradict int’l principles
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said his country will not accept any unilateral action by neighboring countries that contradict the international principles based on mutual respect of the countries’ sovereignty.
In a meeting with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Akbar Ahmadian in Baghdad on Monday, al-Sudani said that Iraq has proved it is seeking good relations with countries in the region, but will not compromise on its security and sovereignty.
The Iraqi prime minister stressed that Baghdad has made enormous efforts in line with ensuring stability and peace in the region.
Ahmadian, for his part, reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to Iraq’s security and stability, saying that Tehran insists on the continuation of cooperation between the two countries in accordance with a security agreement signed between the two neighbors.
In a separate meeting with Iraqi national security adviser Qasim al-Araji, Ahmadian said that Iran respects the national sovereignty of Iraq, and that the two countries can resolve their problems through constructive negotiations.
The meeting came weeks after Iran launched missile strikes on anti-Iran groups and an Israeli spy headquarters in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Iraq condemned the strikes as “attack on its sovereignty,” recalled its ambassador from Tehran, and summoned Iran’s envoy in protest at the attack.
Meanwhile, the head of the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, Yahya Al-e Eshaq, rejected media reports about the revocation of the license of Iran’s Bank Melli in Iraq, saying that the Iranian bank has not been active in the country over the past two years.