TEHRAN – Iran's Judiciary chief said on Sunday that judicial relations between Iran and Iraq could contribute to the development of political ties, noting that Tehran’s support for Iraq is a “long-term strategy.”

Sadeq Amoli Larijani left Tehran to Iraq on Saturday to hold talks with his Iraqi counterpart as well as other Iraqi judiciary officials.

He met on Sunday with Medhat al-Mahmoud, the head of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, to discuss relations between Tehran and Baghdad.

During a press conference following the meeting, Larijani said, “The aim of the trip is to further bring the Islamic Republic of Iran and Republic of Iraq closer together.”

Larijani pointed out that the two sides discussed the agreements reached between the two countries to contribute to more cooperation in human rights issues and the fight against terrorism.

“The agreements reached between the two countries are very important. The two sides stressed the need for the implementation of the agreements,” he said.

The Iranian judiciary chief further said that the two neighboring countries exchanged views on the characteristics of their judicial systems.

Larijani announced that a very important memorandum of understanding (MOU) was reached during the meeting that guarantees to bring the two countries’ judicial systems closer together.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq share many religious similarities and can establish their own proposed human rights which would be based on Islamic teachings,” he added.

Larijani also criticized the Western view of human rights, saying the Islamic Republic would not accept it.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani expressed the Islamic Republic’s support for the Iraqi nation and government in their fight against terrorism. 

“We hope that Iraq, as an independent country, would be able to play a greater role in the region,” he noted.

He also said that Iran considers Iraq as a very important and strategic neighbor, and described Iran’s support for Iraq as a “long-term strategy of the Islamic Republic.”

Medhat al-Mahmoud, for his part, expressed hope for expansion of judicial relations between Iran and Iraq.

He also stressed that the two neighboring countries have no disagreements on the issue of terrorism and enjoy common views to counter the phenomenon.

MH/PA