Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks on Tuesday in a meeting with Iraqi President Fuad Masum in the Iranian capital, Tehran, where Masum took part in the third summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) on Monday.
Ayat. Khamenei hailed Iraq for recent advances and their relatively good dominance over the scourge of ISIL, adding “in the organizational structure of the Iraqi government, the president holds a special status and as such, can play an effective role in reducing differences and boosting unity.”
The Leader referred to attempts made by some outside powers to sow discord in Iraq, saying “Iraqi people, be it Shia, Sunni, Kurd or Arab, have been living together without any problems for centuries; unfortunately, however, some regional states as well as foreigners are making efforts to exaggerate differences. You must take a stand against this trend and avoid any pretext that could cause conflict,” the Leader advised President Masum.
The Leader said the emergence of disputes in the public scene of Iraq would pave the way for outside meddling, warning against Americans’ attempts at disintegrating Iraq.
“Iraqi officials will, for sure, adjust their country’s foreign relations with other states, including the US, according to the interests of the Iraqi people, but one must not allow the Americans to think of Iraq as their personal property and make any kind of statement or take any kind of measure,” the Leader emphasized.
Ayat. Khamenei voiced Iran’s preparedness for transferring experiences and scientific, technological and defense capabilities to Iraq, stressing that the level of economic cooperation between the two countries must be further improved.
President Masum, for his part, thanked Iran for its assistance, particularly during the harsh times when Iraq is facing the violent aggressions by Takfiri ISIL terrorists, calling for the further development of relations between Baghdad and Tehran.
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