TEHRAN (FNA) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi underlined his enthusiasm for expanding political and economic ties with Tehran.

According to a statement released by the Iraqi president’s office, Talabani warmly welcomed Qomi at his residency in Baghdad, where the two sides discussed ways to further enhance political and economic relations between Iran and Iraq.
Also during the meeting, Talabani reiterated the need for the participation of Iranian companies in the reconstruction of Iraq, saying, “Iranian companies should have a more active presence in grounds of Iraq’s reconstruction.”
The Iranian envoy, for his part, announced Tehran’s readiness to help Iraq in all the various fields.
Iranian companies have increased their participation in Iraq’s projects in recent years, specially in the reconstruction of power substations and sewage systems damaged during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Earlier in March, Iranian Energy Minister Parviz Fattah said a one-billion-dollar credit provided by Iran would be used to implement several economic and energy projects in Iraq.