TEHRAN - The high ranking Iraqi officials’ visits to Tehran indicates Iran’s significant role in regional developments, said Ali Riaz, the chairman of the Iran-Iraq Parliamentary Friendship Group on Wednesday.

Besides expanding the Iran-Iraq cooperation, such visits will also give a special meaning to the historical and cultural affinities between the two nations, the MP told the Mehr News Agency by telephone from Baghdad. Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani made a two-day visit to Tehran started on Tuesday. He returned home on Wednesday after holding talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader, president and foreign minister. Iran’s parliamentary friendship group is on a tour of Iraq at the invitation of Iraqi side and it has so far held constructive talks with the Iraqi Parliament deputy speaker and the Iraqi parliamentary friendship group, Riazi explained. He said meeting Iraq’s prime minister, holding negotiations with the members of the Iraqi Parliament Foreign Policy Committee, and assessing the diplomatic atmosphere in Iraq are some of the main objectives of the Iranian delegation.