Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is in Baghdad on a three-day visit aimed at consolidating the close alliance between Iran and Iraq. On the first day of the visit, 14 agreements were signed.

Pezeshkian was welcomed at Baghdad airport by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and listened to two national anthems played by the military band.

He then paid homage at the airport in front of the monument dedicated to Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and an influential leader of the Hashd al-Shaabi, both of whom were killed by an American drone strike in January 2020.

The Iranian president will also visit the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala and the Federal Kurdistan Region.

“This visit will be beneficial for the establishment and deepening of economic, cultural, political and security ties with Iraq,” Pezeshkian said before leaving Tehran.

According to Iraqi media, Pezeshkian signed 14 agreements in different fields during his first trip abroad.

The titles of the agreements signed between Iraq and Iran are economy, educational cooperation, youth and sports, cultural exchange, art, archeology, education, media cooperation, transportation, religious tourism groups, cooperation in the free zone, agriculture, natural resources, postal services, social protection, vocational and technical education, development of skilled labour and cooperation with chambers of commerce.