RIYADH: The head of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council on Sunday stressed the importance of relations and common interests between Riyadh and Baghdad, especially in the commercial and investment fields.
Abdulrahman bin Ahmed Al-Harbi, who is also the governor of the General Authority for Foreign Trade, said that “the Kingdom, under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, attaches great importance to relations with Iraq and the establishment of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council is meant to strengthen the historical relations between the two countries in all fields.”
The secretary-general was speaking a day ahead of the Kingdom hosting the Saudi-Iraqi Business Forum and Council in Riyadh, a statement issued by Saudi Press Agency said.
Al-Harbi said that hosting the forum and the council was also in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and its role in making the most of economic opportunities and the rapid transformation taking place in the country.
Al-Harbi said that trade relations between the two countries had reached unprecedented levels, with the volume of trade exchange from 2016 to 2021 amounting to nearly SR20 billion ($5.3 billion).
He added that the Saudi-Iraqi Business Forum and the Saudi-Iraqi Business Council were expected to sign a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding between the Saudi and Iraqi private sectors.
