President Raisi was speaking in a meeting with the visiting head of Iraq’s Kurdistan region Nechirvan Barzani on Monday.
He said Iran is confident that Iraqi and Kurdish brothers are well-intentioned but it just urges caution in the face of Iran’s enemies.
Raisi noted that the disarmament of the anti-Iran groups is a must.
The Iranian president also said Iran wants Iraq to be strong and that Tehran’s support of the Kurdish people during Saddam’s era when the deadly chemical attack by the former Iraqi dictator killed thousands and during Daesh’s attack, proves that Tehran can be regarded as a big asset in tough days for Iraq and the Kurds.
Raisi further maintained that Iran sees no obstacle to expanding economic cooperation and trade relations with Iraq’s Kurdistan region, but security is a vital pillar for any kind of cooperation given the two sides’ long common border.
Nechirvan Barzani, in turn, expressed pleasure with the meeting, saying that religious, historical and cultural commonalities between Iran and the Kurdistan region have created deep bonds.
He added that Iran is a friend in need and has always stood by Iraq and the Kurdistan region during tough times.
The head of the Kurdistan region appreciated the role of General Qassem Soleimani in the security and survival of Kurdistan.
He underscored that the foundation of the new Iraq and today’s relations between the two sides are the result of their good cooperation.
Barzani said, “Iran is not just a neighbor for us. Were it not for the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic, nobody knows what would have happened to the Kurdish movement”.
He noted that respecting these interactions is a red line that the Kurdistan region will never cross.
Barzani then rejected the notion that the Kurdistan region would prefer the Zionist regime to Iran, saying no wise man would choose a regime which is at its worst to a strong neighbor.
He further underscored that the Kurdistan region will abide by the Iran-Iraq security pact.
