Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for empathy and understanding among all Iraqi groups, saying that the people of Iraq should enjoy peace, welfare and progress, Press TV reported.
"All people of Iraq must enjoy peace, welfare and progress and this issue calls for empathy and cooperation among all Iraqi tribes and groups," Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with visiting Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Nechirvan Idris Barzani on Monday.
The Iranian president emphasized that stability and security are prerequisites of progress, adding that the Islamic Republic fully supports the progress and stability of Iraq.
As for the situation in Syria, Ahmadinejad stated that both Tehran and Baghdad believe in empathy and understanding as the best solution to the Syrian crisis, noting that "the Syrian issue will not be resolved through war and conflict."
Barzani, for his part, emphasized the necessity of enhancing all-out economic and political relations with Iran saying, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has helped us in hard times and today we need Iran's brotherly support for our development and unity."
He added that the only solution to the Syrian crisis is empathy and understanding, while the use of weapons and force will only aggravate insecurity in the region.
Barzani arrived in the Iranian capital on Saturday evening and was received by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iraqi Ambassador to Iran Mohammed Majeed al-Sheikh, and representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Tehran, Nazem Dabbaq.