Manama: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir held talks with Iraq’s leadership in Baghdad yesterday, the first visit by a senior Saudi official since 2003, signalling a thaw in the frosty bilateral relations.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi received Al Jubeir and his delegation, and both sides “discussed cooperation in various fields, including the fight against the Daesh gangs”.
The Saudi foreign minister, who also met his counterpart Ebrahim Al Jaafari, told reporters after the meeting that Riyadh desires stable ties with Iraq.
"It's the hope of kingdom of Saudi Arabia to build excellent relations between the two brotherly countries," Al Jubeir said.
"There are also many shared interests from fighting extremism and terrorism or opportunities for investment and trade between the two countries," he added.
Expressing Saudi Arabia’s willingness to help bridge Iraq’s sectarian divide, Al Jubeir said: "The kingdom stands at an equal distance from all Iraqis communities making up Iraq and supports the unity and stability of Iraq," the Saudi minister said.
Al Jubeir told the Iraqi leadership that the kingdom plans to appoint a new ambassador, and would support resuming direct flights between the two countries, an Iraqi foreign ministry official said.
Iraq last year asked Saudi Arabia to replace its ambassador, Thamer Al Sabhan, after his comments about Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. Sabhan was the first ambassador appointed by Saudi Arabia after it reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015 following a 25-year break.
Iraqi lawmaker Sameera Al Mousawi, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed Al Jubeir’s visit as a positive step to launch a direct dialogue with Riyadh to spare the two countries the threats of the existing divergences.
“The visit by the Saudi foreign minister to Iraq comes as part of the moves under way in the region,” Al Mousawi was quoted as saying.
“The problems in the region, especially security issues and terrorism, require the exchange of visits in order to reach understandings and agreements that will lead to solving differences. Tension is not in the interest of either country, and the countries in the region should be the first to remove or reduce it.”
The lawmaker added that tension had caused heavy losses.
“Everybody has begun to feel the danger. Iraq’s doors are wide open to the brothers and friends, but for the sake of cooperation and coordination that will achieve public interests and the principles of good neighbourliness and non-interference in the affairs of other countries.”
