Iraqi PM Kadhimi participated in latest Iran-Saudi Arabia talks

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi took part in the latest round of normalization talks in Baghdad between the Middle East’s two archrivals, Saudi Arabia and Iran, according to the country’s ministry of foreign affairs.

Iraq recently hosted the fifth round of talks between Riyadh and Tehran, aimed at easing the tensions between the two regional superpowers. 

Premier Mustafa al-Kadhimi was present at the negotiations, which covered several important topics, including mutual security concerns, Ahmed Al-Sahaf, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry told the state media INA on Tuesday. 

Both Iraqi and Iranian diplomatic officials described the latest talks as “positive”. If continued, the talks could lead to the normalization of ties, which shattered in 2016 when Saudi Arabia executed the top Shiite cleric, Nmir al-Nimr. 

Bordering both regional powers, Iraq seeks to strike a “balance” between the rivals who are currently engaged in several conflicts in the Middle East. 

Recently, an Iranian news agency, Nour, reported that foreign ministers of both countries could meet “in the very near future”. 

Iraq is expected to host another round of talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters on Monday.

In late August last year, Iraq hosted the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, where several regional powers’ emissaries participated, including the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers. “Regional cooperation” was the focal point of the talks.