Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi stressed on Tuesday their determination to boost bilateral ties between their countries.
The two leaders held their talks virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic and days after a high-ranking Saudi delegation had visited Iraq to discuss various agreements between Riyadh and Baghdad.
Tuesday’s meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of State and National Security Advisor Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid al-Qasabi and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
Crown Prince Mohammed and Kadhimi discussed the proceedings of the fourth round of the Saudi-Iraqi coordination council.
They underscored the need to expand bilateral cooperation to meet the interests of Saudi Arabia and Iraq in politics, security, investment, trade and tourism.
They stressed the need for cooperation in energy and coordinating their stances in the oil field in line with agreements within the OPEC and OPEC+ groups.
They agreed to continue joint cooperation in confronting terrorism and extremism, describing them as existential threats to the region and world. They agreed to continue to back Iraq, with the support of the international coalition, in confronting terrorism and extremism. They also stressed the importance of cooperation in security their joint borders.
Crown Prince Mohammed and Kadhimi also tackled regional and international developments, underlining the need to bolster security and stability in the region and world.
They agreed to continue mutual visits and bilateral talks on all levels.