TEHRAN – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Sudani has sent a message to Iran’s First-Vice President Mohammad Mokhber that was delivered by Iraqi Health Minister Saleh al-Hasnawi during his visit to Iran.

Al-Hasnawi met in Tehran with Mokhber. During the meeting, the Iraqi health minister conveyed the greetings of the prime minister to him and delivered a message from Muhammad Sudani, according to Tasnim. 

Mokhber announced the readiness of companies producing medicines and advanced medical equipment in Iran to meet Iraq's pharmaceutical and medical needs.

“Iran and Iraq, through cooperation and participation with each other, can work on building a production line for medicines and export them to Islamic countries, and be pioneers in the region,” Mokhber said.

The Iranian First-Vice President referred to the positive and developed relations between the two countries at various political, economic and cultural levels, stressing the need to strengthen and consolidate relations between Tehran and Baghdad as much as possible, as it is the desire of the people of the two countries.

He said that the Islamic Republic has always supported Iraq's stability, security, independence, territorial integrity, might, and regional and international status.

Mokhbar also considered the expansion of cooperation between the ministries of health in the two countries in various fields such as education, the establishment of medical clinics, insurance services, and the provision of health and medical services, especially in the days of the months of Muharram and Safar, as a necessity.

He referred to the many areas of cooperation to develop relations between Tehran and Baghdad.

Mokhber pointed out that Iran and Iraq can improve the level of mutual relations and cooperation in various fields of transport, shipping, science, technology, industry, trade and energy, stressing that this development in economic relations depends on removing banking obstacles and facilitating trade between the two countries.

Mokhber also lauded the common religious and cultural commonalities and friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries.

He also said, “If the ground is provided for the private sector in Iran and Iraq and banking obstacles are removed, economic cooperation will witness serious development and boom.”

‘Iraq ready to provide necessary conditions for activity of Iranian pharmaceutical companies’ 

In addition to delivering from his country’s prime minister to the Iranian vice president, Health Minister al-Hasnawi said the most important priority of the Iraqi government is to strengthen and consolidate bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Al-Hasnawi referred to his visit with the officials of Iraqi companies accompanying him to Iranian pharmaceutical factories, and said that an Iraqi company signed a contract with the Iranian side to produce medicines in Iraq.

He added that Iraq is ready to provide the necessary conditions for the activity of Iranian pharmaceutical companies in his country, so that they can cooperate in various fields.

Earlier, the health ministers of Iran and Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding in Tehran, promoting health diplomacy by boosting relations in the field of medical education and treatment.

Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi and his Iraqi counterpart Saleh Al-Hasnawi inked the MOU on Saturday.

The Iraqi official called for importing Iranian technology and expertise in medicine.

“We started registering Iranian medicine in 2003. Thousands of Iraqi students are studying in Iran in various fields,” he added.

Einollahi, for his part, said that the fifth joint committee for economic cooperation was held two months ago, with the issue of health as one of the main topics of discussion.

“It was decided that the pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies of the two countries should cooperate more with each other.”