A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency on September 26, 2020, shows President Hassan Rouhani (right) meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein (left) in the capital Tehran. (IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP)
DUBAI / TEHRAN - Iran and Iraq on Saturday pledged to improve border cooperation and boost trade between the two neighbours that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We remain committed to increasing political, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries,” President Hassan Rouhani told visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, according to a government website.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day visit
ALSO READ: Iran opens new Gulf naval base as US readies new sanctions
The pandemic has led to border closures and disruptions to trade and visits by millions of pilgrims and tourists.
Iran, which shares a long border with Iraq, has been the epicentre of the virus in the Middle East but the spread has also accelerated in Iraq.
Iran is one of Iraq’s biggest trading partners. Both countries’ economies are in crisis. Iran continues to suffer from U.S. sanctions and Iraq’s economy has been battered by years of wars, sanctions and an Islamist insurgency.
READ MORE: Trump: US troops in Iraq to be reduced to 2,000 soon
Tehran also used to meeting to denounce the US military presence in the region.
“We consider the presence of American forces in the region, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or the southern states of the Persian Gulf, to the detriment of security and stability in the region,” Rouhani said.
Hussein also met on Saturday noon his Iranian counterpart Muhammad Javad Zarif in Tehran, official news agency IRNA reported.
The two sides discussed regional development in the meeting, according to the report.