Baghdad: Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Haibat al-Halbousi, met on Wednesday with the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and his accompanying delegation to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations, activate friendship committees, and develop cooperation and joint coordination between the two parliaments.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, at the beginning of the meeting, the Speaker welcomed the visiting delegation, emphasizing the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran and developing cooperation between the two countries in various fields, particularly at the parliamentary level.

The Speaker stressed the importance of activating friendship committees, enhancing parliamentary diplomacy, and expanding areas of cooperation to serve the interests of the two neighboring peoples. He noted that Iraq is among the countries most affected by the circumstances and developments in the region, and called for consideration of the nature of the relations between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and for Iraq to have special privileges regarding oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, in a way that preserves its economic interests.

For his part, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament expressed his gratitude and appreciation, on behalf of the Parliament, the government, and the Iranian people, to Iraq, emphasizing his country’s keenness to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, particularly trade and economics.

The Speaker stressed the importance of activating the friendship committees between the two parliaments and enhancing frameworks for joint parliamentary cooperation and coordination, as well as following up on the implementation of agreements signed between the two countries, in order to contribute to developing bilateral relations and serving common interests.

The discussions also addressed regional and international developments, and an exchange of views took place on a number of issues and topics of mutual interest.