Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman on Tuesday said “the kingdom will stand by its brotherly Iraqi state”, calling their relations an “inexhaustible partnership”, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
“I was pleased with what I saw and was touched by the warm welcome during my visit to Iraq, which is dear to us and is a country rich in history with a great legacy," Prince Khalid said.
He passed on the greetings of Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Iraqi President Barham Salih, wishing him and the Iraqi people further progress, stability and prosperity.
"We discussed the brotherly ties between our two countries, and ways to improve the relationship across all avenues," Prince Khaled said on Twitter after meeting Mr Salih.
He also held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Al Halbousi and Defense Minister Juma Anad Al Juburi.
The officials "discussed our distinguished and brotherly relationship as well as issues of mutual interests to both our countries," Prince Khaled said.
Relations between Riyadh and Baghdad have improved in recent years, leading Saudi Arabia to reopen its embassy in Baghdad. The countries are now exchanging official visits.
In March, Prince Mohammed welcomed Mr Al Kadhimi to Riyadh.
Dozens of agreements were signed during the visit and Saudi Arabia agreed to contribute $3 billion to an investment fund for Iraq.
"Today, we embark on a visit to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to strengthen our bilateral ties and enhance regional co-operation," Mr Al Kadhimi had said on Twitter at the time.
"We will work on serving our peoples' interests, achieving stability and advancing developmental values based on what binds us."
Last year, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Iraq, as the two countries sought to strengthen ties, especially in energy.
Relations between Baghdad and Riyadh were severed after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Saudi Arabia also viewed with suspicion Iran-backed Iraqi governments that followed Saddam Hussein's removal in 2003.
In a bid to counter the growing Iranian influence in Iraq, the US urged the kingdom to forge ties with Baghdad.
The current visit comes a week after Mr Salih confirmed the country began hosting talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in early April, and that discussions have continued since.
“Iraq hosted more than one round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which are ongoing and of major significance,” he told an event hosted by the Beirut Institute think tank.
The discussions aim to ease tension between Riyadh and Tehran after years of animosity that has spilt into neighbouring countries, including Iraq.
Mr Salih said the main focus of the talks was the war in Yemen, where a Saudi Arabia-led coalition is battling the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
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Lowest Test scores
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896
30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924
35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899
36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
