Upon his return to the Islamic Republic, Pezeshkian emphasized the will to eliminate obstacles to strengthen ties and confirmed the desire to cooperate in all fields.

In a farewell ceremony his Iraqis hosts offered him in Basra, the president stressed the importance of maintaining unity to strengthen the economy and bring the two neighboring countries closer together.

Pezeshkian arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, on his first official visit abroad and to an Arab nation, after taking office on July 30.

The president of the Islamic Republic began his stay in Iraq with a tribute at the site where commanders Qasem Suleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed, near Baghdad International Airport.

He then held official talks with Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who joinined him to preside over the signing of 14 memorandums of understanding.

He also held talks with his counterpart Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, Parliament Deputy Speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi, religious leader Ammar al-Hakim, as well as officials and members of the Coordination Framework and other political figures in the country.

In addition to Baghdad, he visited the Iraqi cities of Najaf, Karbala, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Basra.

According to IRNA, Iraq is the second largest destination for Iranian exports, with annual trade between the two countries worth $12 billion. Middle East experts have hailed the visit as a sign of the strength of political, economic and security relations between Iran and Iraq.

Ied/npg/yma