TEHRAN, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday exchanged views on enhancing bilateral relations and cooperation.
In a phone call, the Iraqi prime minister congratulated Pezeshkian on his victory in Iran's 14th presidential election, reported Iran's official news agency IRNA.
Al-Sudani also expressed optimism that bilateral, regional and international cooperation between Iraq and Iran would continue to expand during Pezeshkian's term.
He said the approach of promoting relations with neighbors as Pezeshkian announced would be in the interests of the Iranian people and those of other regional states, including Iraq.
Pezeshkian, for his part, expressed gratitude to the Iraqi government and people for their felicitations on his election win, stressing that Iran and Iraq had helped each other in many areas and would continue to do so in the future.
He highlighted Iraq's importance in Iran's foreign policy, hailing the Iraqi government's positions on the war in Gaza, and its contribution to the treatment of the injured Palestinians.
Pezeshkian was announced as Iran's next president on Saturday following his victory in a runoff against Saeed Jalili, a former chief nuclear negotiator.
He already held a phone call on Monday with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, during which the two sides vowed to continue expanding bilateral relations and cooperation, according to the IRNA. ■
