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March 2, 2oo8 will be remembered as the day an Iranian president visited Iraq for the first time since the Iranian revolution.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit comes as part of the normalisation process between the two neighbours, who fought an eight-year war in the 1980s, at the cost of about a million lives. Since the fall of Saddam Hussain in 2003, there has been a serious effort by both countries to cement their ties and overall their relationship has improved.
Ahmadinejad's visit is not only being seen as a show of support for the Iraqi government but it also comes at a crucial time, as sectarian violence, though on the decline, still remains a major concern in Iraq today.
The Iranian president, whose country has been accused by the US of providing training and weapons to Shiite extremists in Iraq, has stressed that his government wants a stable Iraq. He announced, "A united, powerful and developed Iraq is in the interests of all countries of the region."
It is encouraging to see the two countries are focusing on their mutual concerns (economy and political stability) and it is hoped that this visit will mark a new chapter in the ties between Iran and Iraq.
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