Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah welcomed the arrival of 33,690 pilgrims from Iraq on Thursday, among the two million pilgrims the Kingdom is preparing to receive during the 2023 Hajj season.
He pointed to the development works currently underway at the Jdeidet Arar port, which received over the past months more than 300,000 Iraqi pilgrims.
Al-Rabiah’s remarks came during a joint press conference with the chairman of the Iraqi Supreme Authority for Hajj and Umrah, Sami Al-Masoudi, on the sidelines of his official visit to Iraq.
The Saudi minister highlighted the facilities provided by the Kingdom to pilgrims and Umrah performers, namely the reduction of the insurance cost for pilgrims by 73% and for Umrah performers by 63%, as well as encouraging competition between companies providing Hajj services, which contributes to reducing costs and raising the quality of services.
During the visit of the Saudi delegation to Baghdad, the two sides discussed solutions that facilitate the entry of Iraqi pilgrims to Makkah and Madinah. Those include the free transit visa through Saudi carriers, which allows entry to the Kingdom for a period of 4 days and the performance of Umrah, among other facilities aimed at raising the quality of services and enriching the religious and cultural experience, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
In a related context, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid reviewed with the Saudi minister bilateral relations and opportunities to develop cooperation in all fields that serve common interests.
Al-Rabiah also met with Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi, Iraqi Deputy Minister of Transport, Talib Baish, the head of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority, Imad Al-Asadi, and the Director General of the General Authority of Customs, Shaker Al-Zubaidi.
