The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi as well as Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani congratulated Mohammed al-Halbousi on his election as speaker of Iraqi Parliament. The messages were issued a few hours after the voting finished on Saturday afternoon.
Ghasemi said in his message that “the Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported democracy, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iraq and now once again announces its support for the decisions of elected representatives of the people.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman further added that Iran believes “the election of the speaker of the parliament is an important and necessary step on the path to form a new Iraqi government.”
He also expressed hope to see the election of Iraq's president and prime minister soon, which would pave the way for the formation of a new elected Iraqi government.
Separately, the Iranian Parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, also hailed the good relations between Iran and Iraq, especially between the two countries' parliaments, over the past years, expressing hope for further expansion of ties during al-Halbousi’s term.
Larijani went on to say that the Iranian government and Parliament hold the great Iraqi people in high regard, wishing them the establishment of security and prosperity.
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