The Iraqi Prime Minister in Riyadh then Tehran to relaunch talks between the two countries
Iraqi Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kadhimi at a press conference in Tehran with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi;
June 26, 2022. © Presidency website/Wana Agency, via Reuters
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1 min
Iraqi Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi traveled to Saudi Arabia and then Iran, the two great rivals in the Middle East, on Sunday June 26.
Trips on the same day following a series of talks between Riyadh and Tehran, held in Baghdad, the content of which remained secret.
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With our correspondent in Baghdad,
Lucile Wassermann
Visiting these two great enemy countries, during the same day, is not insignificant.
Even less, the fact of going to Tehran from Riyadh.
A clear route, to signify that the Iraqi Prime Minister carries messages between the two countries, which have severed their diplomatic ties since 2016.
Whether in Saudi Arabia or Iran, officials insisted this Sunday on the importance of "
regional stability
", and of a "
constructive dialogue
" in this sense: an echo of the talks that
took place in Baghdad
during nearly a year, and during which Iranian and Saudi delegations spoke for the first time since 2016. The content of those talks, however, has not been disclosed.
The Iraqi Prime Minister has often prided himself on the organization of these negotiations in Iraq, which he believes has become a mediator in regional conflicts.
Although the country has often been destabilized by interference in its territory, it maintains good relations with most of its neighbours.
An asset that has not yet been enough to really ease tensions, since
the negotiations were suspended last April
.
According to a source from the Iraqi Prime Minister's office, these two trips were mainly aimed at reviving these talks, with "
a roadmap to renew ties and return to the path of strengthening bilateral relations
" between Saudi Arabia and the Iran.
►Also read: Yemen: the truce renewed for two more months
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Iran
Saudi Arabia
Diplomacy
Iraq
Mustafa al-Kazimi