Saudi-Iraqi border crossing to reopen after 27 years

Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, governor of the Northern Borders Province, receives Iraqi Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Rashidi Mahmoud Al-Ani. The ambassador received Iraqi pilgrims who arrived in the Kingdom via the Arar border crossing. (SPA)

JEDDAH: Al-Jadidah Arar border crossing between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which has been closed for some 27 years, will soon reopen for trade following bilateral rapprochement, according to the Saudi Makkah Daily.
Iraqi pilgrims continued to use the crossing during the years of closure, while Saudi Arabia welcomed them and facilitated their pilgrimage.
In preparation for the crossing’s inauguration, the Saudi chargé d’affaires in Baghdad, Abdul Aziz Al-Shammari, and the Iraqi ambassador in Riyadh, Rashidi Mahmoud Al-Ani, visited the Saudi Northern Borders Province and met its Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khalid in his office.
They toured the crossing facilities and talked to officials from both countries as well as Iraqi pilgrims. Al-Shammari told reporters that the Iraqi side is keen to cooperate.