TEHRAN - Iraqi Parliament Speaker Ayad al-Samarrai has called for the expansion of Tehran-Baghdad security cooperation.

Iran plays an important role in regional security and that Iraq wants the best cooperation with Iran particularly in the security field, al-Samarrai told Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili in Tehran on Monday.
Al-Samarrai along with a number of Iraqi lawmakers arrived in Tehran on Monday to hold talks with Iranian officials on mutual interests.
He said the current form of democracy in Iraq, which was established after the end of Saddam era, has provided a suitable ground for the promotion of ties between Iraq and the friendly countries especially Iran.
Tehran and Baghdad should make serious efforts to remove the obstacles to the expansion of their bilateral ties, the Iraqi official added.
Jalili said it is essential that Iraq tries to maintain its sovereignty and national unity, adding the presence of foreign forces in Iraq is a serious threat to the country’s stability and harming the security situation.
He noted that Iran opposes the foreign presence in Iraq but supports the democratic process and wants stability as well as development and national unity of the country.
A number of Iraqi lawmakers, who also attended the meeting, called for the expansion of ties between the two neighboring countries.
Al-Samarrai, in a separate meeting with the Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani late Monday, said that Iran’s technological advancement and economic growth will highly affect Iraq’s development.
Iraq needs Iran’s experience in order to speed up its development and economic progress, he added.
He went on to say that the regional countries should further expand their cooperation to resolve the crises facing the region, and that Iran-Iraq strategic ties play an important role in this regard.
Al-Samarrai also called for collective measures to stop aliens’ interference in regional affairs.
Larijnai said that Iran has always supported Iraq in hard times and will do the same in the future.
He also said that cultural affinities between Iran and Iraq are great potential to help further expand their ties.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the speaker said the current political-security situation, which has been created due to the unsuccessful militaristic policy in the region, necessitates closer cooperation between the Islamic nations.
Larijnai stated that it is Iran’s strategic policy to increase political-economic ties with Iraq and help the country to better its security.
He also urged the rapid implementation of the joint infrastructure projects between Tehran and Baghdad and called for easing the bureaucratic process of the projects.
The Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, in a separate meeting with Al-Samarrai on Tuesday, said the western countries are trying to impose their view of human rights on the whole world.
The Islamic countries must attempt to explain the real idea of human rights from the Islamic perspective, Larijani added.
He also called for serious measures to prevent illegal travel of pilgrims across Iran-Iraq common borders.
He expressed hope that judicial cooperation will increase and the two countries sign judicial agreements.
Iran has valuable experience in formulating judicial rules and is ready to share its experience with Iraq, he said.
Al-Samarrai asked Larijani to assure that the Iraqi prisoners in Iran will be treated with compassion and Larijani promised that Iranian judicial officials will show clemency in issuing the rulings.
Al-Samarrai also vowed that Iraq will consider compassion in making rulings on Iranians who are imprisoned in Iraq.
He also called for the expansion of legal and judicial ties with Iran, saying Iraq is ready to utilize Iran’s experience in these areas