PM Barzani meets with Iraqi envoy to Saudi Arabia
Al Souhail has previously served as Iraq’s ambassador to Jordan, Italy, and Palestine.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday met with Iraqi Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Safia Taleb Ali Al Souhail in Erbil, according to a statement.
Barzani and Souhail highlighted the state of affairs in Iraq and the Middle East, a government press release noted.
The Iraqi diplomat was inaugurated in the position in early June, as the first female ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Al Souhail has previously served as Iraq’s ambassador to Jordan, Italy, and Palestine.
Following the ouster of Iraq’s Ba’athist regime in 2003, the 57-year-old independent politician became the first Iraqi female ambassador in the country’s history, according to the foreign ministry.
She is the daughter of Sheikh Taleb Al Souhail, a well-known Iraqi opposition figure who was assassinated in Beirut in 1994.
As a member of Iraq’s Council of Representatives, Ms. Al Souhail had served as a leading member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and chair of the Iraqi Parliamentary Friendship Committee with the European Union.
Baghdad and Riyadh currently enjoy close diplomatic relations following years of Iraq’s isolation from regional engagement.
The bilateral ties have been strengthened by Saudi pledges of investment in various Iraqi sectors, particularly as the fight against the so-called Islamic State wanted in 2017.
Saudi Arabia sealed off its land and air borders with Iraq following Baghdad’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
In a bid to normalize its damaged ties with regional countries, Iraq has tried to boost its diplomatic engagement, particularly with the two historical Middle Eastern rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Baghdad had hosted at least five rounds of talks between Riyadh and Tehran before the two former foes officially reconciled through Chinese mediation in March.