“The visit of President Masoud Pezeshkian comes in light of the circumstances and developments in the region and the issue of Gaza, in addition to strengthening relations between the two countries in various fields - political, cultural, economic and security,” Ambassador Mohammad Kazem Al-e Sadeq told Rudaw.
He told Iranian state media in late August that Pezeshkian will visit Iraq sometime between September 10 and 21. It will be the newly-elected president’s first international trip. Pezeshkian could also visit Erbil, according to the ambassador.
“Iraq is an important country in the region and it is of interest from the perspective of Pezeshkian's foreign policy, as [the Iranian president] announced that his foreign policy is based on the importance of neighboring countries," Sadeq told Rudaw.
The visit “will be crowned with the signing of memoranda of understanding that serve the interests of both countries,” he added. “There are also memoranda of understanding regarding the security dossier.”
He did not provide details of the new security agreements, but a pact signed between Iran and Iraq in March last year saw Baghdad agree to disarm Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions. Iran had threatened to use military action if Baghdad failed to fulfill the agreement.
Iran has long accused the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of harboring opposition groups it considers threats to its national security and allowing them to use the border areas as a launchpad for attacks. The Kurdistan Region has categorically rejected Tehran's accusations.
One of the opposition groups, Komala Party, said in a statement on Friday that they have not been provided with a copy of the Iran-Iraq security deal, but that they oppose the forced evacuation of their bases, which the party claims only contain civilians.
On Thursday, a number of residents from Komala bases were moved to Surdash camp in Sulaimani province’s Dukan district. Rudaw has learned that Sulaimani’s authorities have informed Komala that they should empty their bases by Tuesday.
In its public statement, Komala called on the KRG to draw a red line in front of Iran’s demands and Iraq’s pressure.
