Manama: Saudi Arabia has dismissed reports that Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman intended to visit Iraq in the near future.
“There is no truth to the reports carried by some media outlets about an upcoming visit by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, to the Republic of Iraq,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, underscoring “the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and the positive developments witnessed recently in all fields.”
Riyadh and Baghdad have in recent months boosted the level of contacts between them.
Iraqi reports said that authorities in Baghdad have recently approved the opening of two more Saudi consulates in Najaf and Basra in a bid to reinforce the kingdom’s diplomatic presence in the country. Saudi Arabia has its embassy in Baghdad and a consulate in Erbil.
In February, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar Al Abadi said that relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia were on the right track.
“We look forward to widening our relations in all areas in a way that serves the interests of our brotherly peoples. We also look forward to deepening cooperation through the Joint Coordination Council which is the basis for boosting economic relations and commercial and expertise exchanges,” Al Abadi told a Saudi media delegation visiting Baghdad.
The council was set up in July to boost ties on all levels.
