RIYADH: Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called on Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan at his office in Riyadh on Monday. The Iraqi minister is on an official visit to the Kingdom.
During the meeting, the ministers discussed bilateral ties and ways to strengthen them at all levels. They also reviewed the outcome of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council meetings.
The foreign ministers reviewed the regional and international developments of common interest.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq opened the Arar border crossing for trade for the first time in three decades in November last year. The crossing had been closed since 1990 after the two countries cut ties following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait.
Also in November, a Saudi delegation led by the Kingdom’s commerce and industry and agricultural ministers visited Baghdad as part of the framework of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council and the Economic, Trade, Investment, Development and Joint Relief Committee.
A Saudi-Iraqi businessmen forum was also launched on the sidelines of the visit, under the auspices of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
The Saudi-Iraqi rapprochement extends back to 2015, when Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad following a 25-year break.
