BAGHDAD, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Barham Salih on Wednesday met with the visiting Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to discuss boosting bilateral relations and the recent developments in the Middle East.
A statement by Iraqi presidency office said that Salih told the Kuwaiti emir that "Iraq has a serious desire to build advanced ties with its neighbors, especially with Kuwait in a manner that serves the common interests of the two brotherly peoples."
Salih asserted that Iraq "seeks to achieve a comprehensive regional agreement based on the dialogue and good neighborly relations among the countries," the statement added.
Salih expressed his wishes that the emir's visit "will be a good chance to ... start a page of constructive relations between the two neighbors," the statement said.
The emir confirmed his country's desire to support and enable Iraq to overcome the repercussions of terrorism and rebuild the country.
The emir asserted that his visit to Iraq is a chance to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation and to resolve the outstanding files between the two countries, according to the statement.
The two sides also discussed the recent political developments in the region and the attempts of mitigating them to achieve stability in the region, it said.
Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti emir, heading a ministerial delegation, arrived in Baghdad on an official visit and was received by Salih in Baghdad airport.
The emir is also expected to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi to discuss bilateral ties and the developments in the Middle East.
The relations between Kuwait and Iraq have been strengthened in recent years, after their diplomatic ties were cut when Iraqi former leader Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait in 1990.
The visit is the second for Sheikh Sabah since he became the Kuwaiti emir in 2006. On March 29, 2012, he headed a Kuwaiti delegation to the Arab summit held in Baghdad.
The visit came just days after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman off the Iranian coast, amid rising tensions in the Middle East between the United States and Iran.
Some Gulf Arab countries and the United States believe Iran was behind the attacks which threatened oil supplies that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran has denied all such allegations.
