Saudi King Salman welcomed Iraq's new President Barham Saleh on Sunday (November 18th) on his first official visit to the kingdom, amid a warming of ties between the Arab neighbours, AFP reported.
The king hosted a lunch and "discussed regional developments" with Saleh, the Saudi Press Agency said, after the Iraqi leader's arrival in Riyadh following a visit to Iran.
Saleh, a 58-year-old moderate Kurd elected to the largely ceremonial role last month, was on an overnight visit at the invitation of the Saudi monarch, an Iraqi official said.
Separately, Iraq's Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim, who is part of Saleh's delegation, held talks in Riyadh with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, officials said.
Ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq have been looking up in recent months, with a flurry of visits between the two countries indicating a thawing of ties.
Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with the kingdom as it looks to rebuild after the defeat of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), while Riyadh is keen to develop relations with Baghdad to counter the influence of regional rival Iran in Iraq.
