Visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that his country and Iraq had an "exceptional" role to play in the region’s security.

Visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that his country and Iraq had an "exceptional" role to play in the region's security.

"The role of the two countries in the security of the region is exceptional," Ahmadinejad told reporters without elaborating in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

"We carry a joint message, which is a message of progress and stability and security, and also a message of peace," Ahmadinejad said, standing alongside Iraqi Vice President Khudayr al-Khuzaie.

After arriving to a red carpet welcome, Ahmadinejad held talks with Khuzaie, and was also expected to meet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during the two-day visit.

Ahmadinejad, whose term ends early next month, will also visit the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala and that of Imam Ali in Najaf, Maliki's spokesman Ali Mussawi said.