He made the remarks in a meeting with a visiting Iraqi delegation headed by Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani.

Owji said Iran and Iraq have a common stance on OPEC and OPEC+ policies, expressing his gratitude to Abdel-Ghani for supporting the alliance’s production cuts aimed at stabilizing oil prices.

Strong historical and religious bond exists between the two nations, pointed out the minister, adding Iran’s 13th administration is seeking to expand relations with neighboring countries, particularly Iraq.

He pointed to the upcoming martyrdom anniversary of Lieutenant General Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), who were martyred along with their companions in a U.S. drone strike on January 3, 2020, saying, “These martyrs played a major role in cementing the two countries’ ties, sacrificing their lives in the path of God to provide their peoples with security.”

The Iraqi oil minister, for his part, said Iranians and Iraqis, who were martyred in their fight against Daesh terrorists, strengthened the two nations’ bond.

Touching upon the stance Iraq adopted in the recent OPEC+ meeting, Abdel-Ghani said the coalition’s decision helped stabilize oil prices and was to the advantage of producers, consumers, and even investors.     

He added Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attaches great significance to development of relations with Iran.

Iranian companies can participate in different projects in Iraq, including joint fields’ development projects, the oil minister continued.

He referred to offshore and onshore exploration blocks as an area for Iranian knowledge-based companies’ cooperation with Iraq.

Investment in gas production and oil refinery projects is also among potential fields for bilateral cooperation, he concluded.