TEHRAN - Iraj Masjedi, the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, held talks on Sunday with Barham Salih, the newly elected Iraqi president.

Masjedi extended Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s congratulation to Salih.

Ambassador Masjedi said Iraq is a powerful country that will overcome difficulties.

On October 2, Iraq’s parliament elected Salih as new president. Salih, of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, won 220 votes out of the 273 lawmakers who were present in the parliament.

He was among 20 candidates for the post, including one from the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party. The two parties have dominated Kurdish politics for decades.

The new president will have 15 days to task the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc with forming a new government. The prime minister-designate will then have 30 days to submit his cabinet to parliament.

Saleh lauds Iran’s fight against terrorism

In his meeting with the ambassador, Salih praised Iran’s role in fighting terrorism in the region and attached great importance to expansion of relations.

The president added that cooperation is beneficial to both the Iranian and Iraqi people.

The Iraqi president also said the current tension in the West Asia region is “unacceptable”.

He noted that Iraq seeks “deep dialogue” about sensitive issues, saying that Iraq will turn into the “center of regional and international consensus”.

Iran and Iraq are very close allies supporting each other against terrorists including ISIS. The two countries’ relationship started growing after the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Iran was the first country that rushed to the support of Iraqis when ISIS launched a surprising attack on the country in 2004.

The economic ties between the two neighbors have also increased greatly. Iran is now Iraq’s third biggest trade partner after Turkey and China.

Iran also has four consulate generals in Basra, Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Karbala.

NA/PA