TEHRAN – Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday morning and met with his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Amir al-Shimmari.

The office of al-Shimmari said in a statement that in the meeting with Vahidi, the Iraqi interior minister underlined the need to deepen brotherly relations between Iran and Iraq. 

The two sides exchanged views on issues of mutual interest. 

Vahidi’s visit to neighboring Iraq comes days ahead of the start of the great walk of Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day since the holding of the Ashura rituals on July 28.  

So far, more than 2.5 million Iranian people entered Iraq for the walk, according to Vahidi. 

The Iranian minister also paid visits to a number of border crossings to oversee the flow of pilgrims. On Tuesday, President Ebrahim Raisi thanked Iraq for its close cooperation with Iran regarding the Arbaeen ceremony. 

This year, more than 20 million are expected to take part in the Arbaeen rituals. Last year, more than 21 million participated.