Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed five agreements on Wednesday
during a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to Riyadh, the
Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV channel reported.
اضافة اعلان
The five agreements covered financial, commercial, economic,
cultural and media fields, Al-Arabiya TV said, according to Reuters.
Separately, the Saudi state news agency (SPA) said the
kingdom’s investments in Iraq were expected to rise to $2.67 billion from a
little over $533.29 million now,
“There are a number of Saudi companies investing in Iraq and
there is a real desire for a number of others to expand their investments
there,” SPA said.
“The Saudi side is keen on additional investments that are
expected to reach 10 billion riyal in various sectors.”
SPA added that Riyadh “considers positively” Iraqi calls for
an increase in Saudi investment, especially in energy, water desalination and
food industries.
The trip comes after Iraq and Saudi Arabia reopened their
land border, the Arar crossing, in November for the first time in 30 years, in
a new effort to revive once-frosty ties.
“The purpose of this trip is to discuss and expand ongoing
cooperation and the work of the Iraqi-Saudi committee”, which oversaw the
re-opening of Arar, an Iraqi official told AFP.
Kadhemi’s visit seeks to “further enhance economic
cooperation and investment” as well as “explore ways to strengthen regional
stability”, the official added.
The kingdom’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman received Kadhemi at Riyadh airport.
The official Saudi Press Agency said the visit came at the
invitation of King Salman, according to AFP.
“Today, we embark on a visit to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
to strengthen our bilateral ties and enhance regional cooperation,” Kadhemi
wrote on Twitter before his arrival.
“We will work on serving our peoples’ interests, achieving
stability and advancing developmental values based on what binds us.”
Kadhemi was scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on his first
foreign trip as prime minister last July, but the visit was cancelled at the
last minute when King Salman was hospitalised for surgery to remove his gall
bladder.
His trip to Tehran, Riyadh’s arch-rival, went ahead, with
the premier meeting Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Known to maintain close personal ties with the Saudi crown
prince, Kadhemi walks a diplomatic tightrope as Baghdad often finds itself
caught in the tug of war between Tehran and Riyadh as well as its ally
Washington.
Iraq is the second-largest producer in the OPEC oil cartel,
outranked only by Saudi Arabia.
Kadhemi, whose government has sought to fast-track foreign
investment including Saudi support for energy and agriculture, is pushing for
deeper economic ties.
The Arar border crossing reopened to goods and people in
November for the first time since Riyadh cut off its diplomatic relationship
with Baghdad in 1990, following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait.
.jpg)
.jpg)
