Saudi minister pays surprise visit to Iraq

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for a surprise visit, Anadolu has reported. Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media about the visit, which is the first for a Saudi foreign minister since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since the Saudi ambassador in Baghdad accused Shia militias affiliated to Iran of planning to assassinate him. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad a year ago following a 25-year shutdown.

According to Anadolu, Al-Jubeir himself was accused by the Iraqi government of interfering in the internal affairs of the country after he had accused the Hashd Al-Shaabi militia, which has official support from the government in Baghdad, of carrying out a proxy war on behalf of Iran.

Saudi Arabia has long accused Iraq of being too close to Shia Iran, its main regional rival, and of encouraging sectarian discrimination against Sunnis, a charge Baghdad denies.

Enmity between Sunni and Shia regional powers has deepened in recent years as sectarian conflicts rage in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Details about the goals of the visit, what the Saudi minister’s schedule is or who he will meet, have not been released.