Foreign Minster of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov met June 22 with Iraqi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Rafe al-Issawi, who is in Baku to participate in the 33rd session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.

The Iraqi Minister expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for excellent organization of the 33rd session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers.

He informed the Azeri Minister on situation in Iraq, saying the country’s political situation has quite bettered.

Rafe al-Issawi highly appreciated the Azerbaijani peacemakers’ role in providing stability in Iraq.

Calling terrorism the most dangerous threats to stability in Iraq, he noted that his country hopes for support from the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

Elmar Mammadyarov, in his turn, stressed that Azerbaijan had closed ties with Iraq as far back as when his country was a part of USSR, and mentioned that Iraq’s consulate general was operating in Baku then.

The Azeri Minister, who is a chairman of Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, said that the opening of the OIC’s coordinating board in Baghdad is a step towards broadening cooperation between Iraq and the OIC.

The parties also discussed a wide range of other topics of mutual concern.