Iraqi parliament speaker to visit Iran

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani is arriving in Iran on Monday for an official visit accompanied by a 30-member delegation.

Al-Mashhadani, announcing his upcoming visit during a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said the visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral parliamentary cooperation.

He said his visit is upon an invitation of his Iranian counterpart, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, and added he will be accompanied by a number of commission heads of Iraq's parliament and a team of news reporters.

He said his visit to Tehran will be his first since his election in April and shows the significance Iraq attaches to its ties with Iran.

The speaker said that heads of different factions in the Iraqi parliament including the coalition, Kurds and Sunnis will also be accompanying him in this visit, adding that the Iraqi side is "determined to hold talks with senior Iranian officials on all issues of joint interest." Pointing to the escalation of tensions in Iraq, al-Mashhadani pointed out that the Iraqi people's expectations from Islamist figures have soared, and said Iraqi officials were under pressure to come up with decisions that would remove the concerns of the nation.

The Iranian ambassador, during the meeting, submitted an invitation by Haddad-Adel for al-Mashhadani to visit Iran, a gesture showing the friendship between the Iranian and Iraqi governments and nations.

He expressed Tehran's support for the political process that has led to the establishment of a popular government in Iraq.

He also voiced his country's readiness to boost cooperation with Iraq in all fields.

"Iran is ready to transfer its experiences in various fields to Iraq and help in the country's reconstruction," the envoy said.