Iraqi premier flies to Saudi Arabia on official visit

By Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi left Baghdad on Wednesday for Saudi Arabia on an official visit.

The premier was accompanied by a high-profile delegation of ministers, lawmakers and businessmen during his visit to the kingdom, according to a statement issued by his office.

The Iraqi premier is expected to sign a host of cooperation agreements between the two neighbors during his two-day visit.

"Iraq is witnessing a major shift in its relations with Saudi Arabia," Abdul-Mahdi told his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Iraqi-Saudi relations were suspended following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

They were restored after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but Baghdad’s continued close ties with Iran -- Riyadh’s arch-rival in the region -- served to keep relations frosty.

Iraqi-Saudi relations picked up, however, during former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s period in office from 2014 to 2018.