TEHRAN -- President Ebrahim Raisi here Wednesday expressed hope that Iraq’s new parliament will soon elect the country’s president as a step towards forming a new government in the Arab country.
“I hope that Iraqi lawmakers will, through understanding and unanimity, elect a president and a prime minister as soon as possible to help resolve the problems of the Iraqi people and boost all-out ties with Iraq’s neighbors particularly Iran,” Raisi told Iraq’s new parliament speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi.
He said Tehran and Baghdad are determined to shore up ties in all areas, stressing that nothing can tarnish deep-rooted and friendly ties between the Iranian and Iraqi nations.
“We are not fine weather friends,” he noted.
The president described unity and solidarity among different Iraqi ethnic and political groups as key to achieving prosperity in the country, warning that any division among religious or ethnic groups would pave the way for the enemies to infiltrate the country at the cost of national interests.
Iraq’s lawmakers must first elect a president, with a two-thirds majority. The president will then ask the largest bloc in parliament to form a government. So far, they failed to elect a new president.
Under Iraq’s current governing system, the prime minister is a member of the Shia majority, the speaker is a Sunni and the largely ceremonial role of president is held by a Kurd.
The Iraqi parliament speaker, for his part, said his visit aimed to underline the need to reinforce friendly ties between the two countries, saying his delegation comprised of representatives of different religious and ethnic groups attested to his nation’s willingness to consolidate friendship with Iranians.
The two nations, Halbousi said, should boost cooperation and synergy to build a better future.
Halbousi arrived here Wednesday morning for talks with Iranian officials, including his Iranian counterpart Muhammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hussein Amir-Abdollahian, and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.
Halbousi first traveled to Iran in 2019 to promote cooperation between the two countries in energy, trade, and the war on terrorism and extremism.
He has been the speaker of the Iraqi parliament since September 2018.