Iraqi PM arrives in Iran on two-day state visit

Tehran, April 22 (Xinhua-ANI): Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki arrived in Tehran on Sunday for an official two-day visit.

Al-Maliki, accompanied by a high-ranking delegation, is expected to meet with senior Iranian officials to discuss bilateral as well as regional issues.

In the previous Iranian calendar year that ended on March 19, the value of bilateral economic ties between Iran and Iraq reached 9.7 billion U.S. dollars which showed a 50-percent increase in comparison to the figures in the year before, the official IRNA news agency reported.

It is expected that the trade value of the two neighboring countries will hit 12 billion dollars in the current Iranian year, said the report.

The Iraqi prime minister is also expected to hold talks with Iranian officials about the next round of nuclear talks between Tehran and six major powers-Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States-which is to be held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on May 23. (Xinhua-ANI)