Iraq PM met Saudi crown prince in Riyadh

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, his office said today, a day after his first official visit to the kingdom.

Abdul Mahdi’s meeting with the crown prince came after he met King Salman yesterday, Reuters reported. His office said the leaders signed 13 agreements in areas such as trade, energy, and political cooperation, without giving further details.

The premier has said Iraq would maintain strong ties with Iran, but also with the United States and regional neighbours, many of which, like Saudi Arabia, consider Tehran a foe.

READ: Saudi seeks to boost influence in Iraq, shift Iran away

Abdul Mahdi went to Riyadh with a large delegation including officials and businessmen, with trade billed as a prime focus of the discussions between OPEC’s two largest oil producers.

The countries had historically been at loggerheads since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 but have recently undertaken a diplomatic push to improve ties.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia reopened a consulate in Baghdad which had been closed for 30 years. King Salman also announced his country would provide Iraq $1 billon to build sport facilities, an announcement which kicked of a two-day visit to Iraq by high-level Saudi officials.