Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi has arrived in Iran in a bid to hold talks with Iranian officials aimed at deepening their bilateral ties.
The head of the Iraqi government is leading a large political and business delegation to Iran which is his first official visit since he took office last year. He was received by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport.
During his two-day visit, Abdul Mahdi is set to participate in the third joint economic committee between Iran and Iraq that will be held in the Iranian capital Tehran.
The last two joint economic committees were held in Iraq during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in January and President Hassan Rouhani’s trip in March.
Adil Abdul Mahdi is also set to visit Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) and meet its President Gholam Hossein Shafei.
Tehran and Baghdad are fast-tracking deepening of their bilateral relations. During a three-day visit to Iraq last month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani signed a deal with Abdul-Mahdi to allow Iraqis to enjoy visa-free travel to the Islamic Republic – a measure which officially came into force on April 1.
Tehran also hopes to increase its annual trade with Iraq from its current $12 billion to $20 billion in the coming years.
Earlier, ICCIMA President Shafei had called for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost the bilateral trade volume to 20bn dollars.
Watch: ICCIMA President urges FTA with Iraq to reach $20bn trade
Iran exported $1.1 billion-worth of goods to Iraq over the Mehran crossing alone during the last Iranian year ending March 21.
Iraq also depends on Iranian energy subsidies to support its electricity network. Baghdad has been granted several waivers from complying with US sanctions on Iran in order to continue importing energy.
Cutting energy imports could worsen Iraq’s daily power blackouts and may lead to a repeat of last summer’s Basra riots.
Abdul-Mahdi’s visit to Tehran in the coming weeks will likely further cement that special relationship, Rudaw reports.