Hailing the amicable political and economic relations between Tehran and Baghdad, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for plans to raise the value of bilateral trade exchanges to over the current $10 billion.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid arrived in Iran on Saturday morning for an official visit.

The Iranian and Iraqi presidents held a joint press conference after their meeting in Tehran.

Hailing the �very good negotiations� with the Iraqi president and highlighting the two countries� resolve to enhance the political, economic, trade and cultural cooperation, Raisi said at the press conference that Tehran and Baghdad enjoy a �special and operational relationship�.

He noted that the current value of trade exchanges between Iran and Iraq stands at above $10 billion, stressing that it needs to increase.

Warning about the detrimental presence of foreign forces, particularly the Americans, in the region, Raisi said, �We consider the common interests in our relationship with Iraq and the regional countries, but the Americans care about their own interests, not the people of Iran, Iraq and the region.�

For his part, the Iraqi president highlighted the deep-rooted and historical ties between the Iraqi and Iranian nations, saying such close relations are not confined to state-run organizations.

Stressing the need for efforts to promote the relations in various fields and remove the obstacles to mutual cooperation, Rashid said details have been discussed about ways to improve the infrastructures of the two neighbors.

Lauding the recent agreement on the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi president said the rapprochement would contribute to regional security and stability.

In comments in March, Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ehsan Khandouzi said the volume of trade exchanges between Iran and Iraq from March 2022 to February 2023 has registered a 20 percent growth compared to the last year�s corresponding period.

By Tasnim