TEHRAN, Dec 4 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran, yesterday, called on the Iraqi government, to fully disarm “terrorist groups” along the common border.
In a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, in Baghdad, yesterday, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Baqeri, expressed gratitude to the Iraqi government, for following up on the security agreement signed in March between the two neighbours, which requires the disarmament of “separatist terrorist groups,” based in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, and their relocation from areas close to the common border.
Baqeri stressed that, the Iraqi government was expected to seriously complete the process of disarming these “counter-revolutionary” groups.
The Iraqi prime minister, for his part, said that, the two countries should resolve the issue through interaction, in addition to improving bilateral cooperation in different fields.
During Baqeri’s meeting with Iraqi Interior Minister, Abdul Amir al-Shammari, also yesterday in Baghdad, the Iranian commander reaffirmed the demand for the total disarmament of “terrorists” along the shared border.
While praising the Iraqi government for its efforts to relocate these groups from the border areas, Baqeri emphasised that, there was still evidence and concerns about the existence of “certain terrorists” along the common border.
The Iranian commander noted that, one way to ensure total border security was to carry out joint activities along the 1,500-kilometre common border, by the two countries’ border guards.
The Iraqi minister, for his part, praised the Iranian armed forces for their helpful cooperation with the Iraqi government and armed forces, in maintaining border security, emphasising that, border control was one of his ministry’s priorities.
Heading a delegation, Baqeri left Tehran for Baghdad on Saturday night. Yesterday, he also met with Iraqi Defence Minister, Thabet Mohammed al-Abbasi, and Chief of the General Staff of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Abdel Emir Rashid Yarallah.
Under the joint security agreement, the Iraqi government pledged to disarm anti-Iran “separatist terrorist groups” operating in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, and relocate them to an alternate camp.– NNN-IRNA
