Iraqi envoy: Saudi Arabia to open two consulates in Basra and Najaf

RIYADH: Iraqi Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Rushdi Al-Ani announced on Friday that the Kingdom is seeking to establish two new consulates in Iraq and is preparing to open a new border crossing between the two countries.
Al-Ani said in an interview with Alyaum: “The Kingdom sent me an urgent request to open a general consulate in Najaf and there are also intentions to open a Saudi consulate in Basra. We welcome this initiative and consider it as a step in the right direction.”
The Saudi crossing border of Jamima in Iraq will soon be open, and work to open the border crossing is real progress, he said.
He added that the crossing will serve the south of Iraq, along with the Arar crossing which days ago saw a heavy flow of pilgrims headed for Hajj.
Al-Ani added that “Saudi-Iraqi relations are at their highest and most promising level since their re-establishment, indicating that the two countries are coordinating to fight the “terrorism cancer.”
Saudi Arabia and Iraq reopened the Arar crossing this week for the first time in 27 years.