Riyadh (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi arrived in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday for a high-level visit aimed at boosting ties between Baghdad and Riyadh, as the regional conflict escalates and assaults on Saudi infrastructure raise worries about Gulf security.
The Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office acknowledged his arrival, indicating a major diplomatic engagement at a time when both nations are facing rising security and economic concerns.
The visit came after Yemen’s Houthi movement launched fatal missile assaults on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the weekend.
Saturday’s bombing killed at least 12 people and wounded over 300, and further attacks have targeted Saudi infrastructure recently.
Al-Zaidi’s presence coincides with the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, where Iraq’s Minister of Oil Basim Mohammed Khudair and Minister of Electricity Ali Saadi Waheeb took part in high-level energy deliberations.
During the conference, the two Iraqi ministers met with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in energy infrastructure, power supply, and investment.
The Prime Minister’s visit comes after he called for closer strategic cooperation with Saudi Arabia in an article published on Tuesday by the Saudi publication Asharq Al-Awsat.
Al-Zaidi praised Baghdad-Riyadh ties as strategically essential, citing shared economic and security interests as well as efforts toward restoring mutual trust.
He emphasized that Iraq’s security and Saudi Arabia’s stability were inextricably linked to the overall security of the Gulf, while underlining Baghdad’s commitment to respecting neighboring nations’ sovereignty and preventing Iraq from becoming a source of regional concerns.
Economic cooperation is also anticipated to be a major focus of the visit, especially since the conflict and disruptions to shipping via the Strait of Hormuz have revealed Iraq’s reliance on fragile oil export and trade routes.
Among the concerns being discussed is the possibility of reviving an oil pipeline from Iraq to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, which may give an alternate export route outside the Strait of Hormuz.
The visit coincides with increased attempts to strengthen commercial, investment, and transportation links between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, especially those potentially related to Iraq’s Development Road project.
Al-Zaidi is also set to visit Kuwait as part of a larger Gulf diplomatic trip to discuss regional security and economic cooperation.
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