Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz will attend on Sunday the launch of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council meeting that is being hosted by Riyadh.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi had arrived in the Kingdom on Saturday to attend the meeting.
He was welcomed upon his arrival by King Salman, who later threw a dinner banquet in his honor.
The Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council meeting will be chaired by Saudi Minister of Trade and Investment Dr. Majed bin Abdullah al-Qasbi and acting Iraqi Minister of Planning and Trade Dr. Suleiman al-Jamili. The meeting will witness the signing of deals on various political and economic issues.
The Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council was established after Riyadh voiced its strong desire to bolster trade and cooperation with Baghdad. A number of talks will be held on the sidelines of Sunday’s meeting to that end.
Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Wealth Khalid al-Falih had visited Baghdad on Saturday to attend the 44th Baghdad International Fair.
During a speech at the event, he stressed that Saudi-Iraqi relations have a promising future, noting that they have several economic factors, such human, energy, water, mineral, agricultural and industrial resources, that complement each other.
The minister had also relayed a message from King Salman to Iraqi President Fouand Masoum, who later held talks with Falih. The two officials discussed various opportunities for cooperation between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Abadi’s trip to Saudi Arabia is the first stop in a regional, explained a statement from his press office.
“The tour aims at bolstering cooperation between Iraq and regional countries in a manner that serves Iraq and its people, especially after the major victories against the ISIS terrorist group,” it said.
The post-ISIS phase requires efforts to establish a new stage of coordination with regional countries in order to rebuild Iraq, it added.
