BAGHDAD, Iraq: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir was in Baghdad for talks on Saturday, the first such visit by a chief diplomat from the kingdom in years, Iraqi officials said.
He met his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, a foreign ministry official told media on condition of anonymity.
Another government official said it was the first visit to Baghdad by a Saudi foreign minister since 2003, marking a key step in efforts to mend frosty bilateral relations.
“This visit is to reestablish relations in a more stable way than previously,” a senior government official said. “It’s the first visit of its kind.”
Iraq Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, who has been at the helm since 2014, has supported efforts to improve strained ties.
Thamer Al-Sabhan, whose credentials were received in January 2016, became the first Saudi ambassador to Iraq in a quarter century, after relations were cut following ex-president Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait.
Al-Sabhan was named Saudi minister of state for the Gulf region in October 2016.
