His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said he was optimistic about the future of Iraq and the entire region, following Sunday's landmark elections in the eastern neighbor.

“What we saw yesterday [Sunday] in Iraq is a positive thing. I think it is a thing that will set a good tone for the Middle East and I'm very optimistic,” King Abdullah told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview.

“Well, I think Christiane we can say hearty congratulations to all Iraqis. I think everybody is very pleased with the turnout and it seemed to have been a very successful day for Iraqis.”

Full Interview