MBS, Iraqi PM discuss 'regional stability'

• 

The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as he kicked off his visit to the Kingdom and Iran on Sunday.

Sources told Al Mayadeen that Al-Kadhimi’s successive visits to the two countries fall within the framework of the latest talks which were held in Baghdad between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, MBS and Al-Kadhimi addressed "bilateral opportunities for joint cooperation."

It added that "they exchanged points of view on a number of issues that would contribute to supporting and strengthening regional security and stability."

Iraq has hosted five rounds of dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the last year, the last of which was held in April.

At the time, Al-Kadhimi said he believed "reconciliation is near" between Riyadh and Tehran.

An Iraqi cabinet member stated Saturday that the trip coincides with talks that Riyadh and Tehran held recently in Baghdad.

According to the source, the talks "represented a road map for mending relations and returning to the right course of strengthening bilateral relations."

It is noteworthy that one of the issues that strained the diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia was the execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr in January 2016.

In early March, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Iran and the Kingdom would be "neighbors forever" and expressed that it would be beneficial to work out their issues and coexist.