PM al-Kadhimi receives Iranian chief of DOE

Shafaq News / Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, received on Sunday the chief of Iran's Department of Environment (DOE), Ali Salajeghah.

A statement by Al-Kadhimi's office said that the two sides discussed enhancing relations between Baghdad and Tehran, especially in the environmental file.

Al-Kadhimi said that straightening ties between the region's countries will help overcome the environmental challenges, noting that it is everyone's responsibility to find solutions and face the repercussions of climate change.

For his part, Salajeghah stressed the need to solve the pending differences between Iraq and Iran, and the importance of cooperation between all countries to cope with climate change.

Earlier today, Iraq's Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein and Salajeghah, discussed the challenges the two neighboring countries are facing in the files of water and climate as the latter heralds cooperation to combat "dust".

Speaking in a joint press conference he held with the Iranian official, Hussein said, "the discussions revolved around coping with climate change and cooperation prospects between both sides."

Hussein said that the Iraqi and Iranian delegations also discussed the joint administration of the common waters file.

"Climate change does not impact a single country. It crosses the borders," he said, "the two countries will exchange visits in the future to discuss the water file."

Salajeghah, an advisor of the Iranian president, said that the meeting ushers cooperation in combating dust storms.

"Iraq and Iran have experience in controlling sand dunes," he continued, "[Iranian] minister of energy will visit Iraq to discuss the dust issue."