Iraqi MPs hail king for restoring ties

ARAR: A number of Iraqi parliamentarians have praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for his wisdom and foresight in appointing an ambassador as well as supporting the Iraqi people against terrorism and extremism.

Thamer bin Sabhan Al-Sabhan has gone to Iraq as the new ambassador. Saudi Arabia has appointed a resident ambassador to the battle-wracked country after a break of 24 years. It had closed its Baghdad embassy in 1991, after Saddam Hussein’s regime invaded Kuwait.
Iraqi lawmaker Shalaan Al-Kareem said the return of the Saudi ambassador will have a positive effect on Iraq, which is fighting against the Daesh terrorist group and other armed factions. “The Kingdom has Islamic and Arabic dimensions. The return of the ambassador is an important message to the Iraqi government and people, and it will open new horizons to support all Iraqis without discrimination.”
Another member of Iraqi Parliament Abdulrahim Al-Jarbaa said the restoration of ties by Saudi Arabia and diplomatic representation in Iraq are positive steps which will bring back Iraq into the Arab circle, which will contribute to curbing extremism.
Parliamentarian Raad Al-Dahlaki also hailed Saudi Arabia’s decision to send its ambassador to Iraq, saying that Iraq needed this important step, which shows the future vision for cooperating with Iraq on all levels.
Member Intisar Al-Jbouri said Iraq was in an urgent need of restoring relations with Saudi Arabia because it will break the ice and support the Iraqi nation in a big way. The return of the Saudi ambassador will support the return of other Arab and Gulf embassies to Iraq, she added.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq have improved since Haider Al-Abadi, a former Saudi military attache to Lebanon, took over as prime minister in September last year.