Iran eyes enhancing ties with Iraq, Kuwait

Tabnak – Despite various claims made by the Western countries and their regional allies about Iran’s “destabilizing behavior” in the Middle East, the Islamic Republic has persistently said it pursues friendly relations with all countries in the region. In this vein and in a new diplomatic push, Tehran eyes expanding ties with Baghdad and Kuwait.

In this vein, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with Prime Minister of Iraq Adil Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad on Monday. According to a statement released by the Iraqi prime minister’s office, the meeting was also attended by Iran’s Ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi.

It was reportedly held to make arrangements for a forthcoming visit to the Arab country by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

In the gathering, Araqchi and Abdul-Mahdi discussed ways to broaden the economic and trade ties between Iran and Iraq and also issues surrounding water sources, common border, and visa regulations, the statement noted, saying they voiced willingness to reach a clear agreement which would fairly serve the interests of both nations.

Rouhani plans to visit neighboring Iraq in the near future. His visit would come against the backdrop of Iran’s efforts to boost its foreign trade in the US sanctions era.

Iraq’s foreign minister said recently that his country is “not obliged” to abide by sanctions imposed by the US against Iran and would be pursuing options to continue bilateral trade.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has expressed hope for the expansion of relations with Kuwait in a message congratulating the Arab country’s ruler and people on its National Day. Iran and Kuwait have developed closer political relations in recent years, and have held several sessions of a Joint Political Committee.

In March 2018, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson hailed the positive remarks by deputy prime minister of Kuwait about the initiatives to ensure lasting relationship between Iran and the Persian Gulf states.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran always regards relations with the neighbors as its top foreign policy priority for cooperation, and believes that a developed, strong and safe region would be achieved only through collective cooperation among all neighbors,” Bahram Qassemi said in response to the Kuwaiti deputy prime minister’s emphasis on close relations with Iran.

His comments came after Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah stressed the need for interaction with Iran at the closing session of Kuwait Investment Forum 2018.

Separately, in comments in August 2017, Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait praised the Arab country for its “balanced policy” toward regional conflicts, highlighting the efforts the emirate has made to prevent the escalation of tensions by encouraging dialogue.

Hailing Kuwait for its efforts to broker regional detente and for its policy on various regional issues such as the crises in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, Alireza Enayati had admired Kuwait for its “remarkable efforts” to settle the diplomatic conflict between Qatar and several other members of the (P)GCC, saying those attempts could ease the tensions and mark a great success for Kuwait.