Kadhimi deepens cooperation with Saudi Arabia, UAE in Gulf tour

Hassan al-Mustafa

Kadhimi and Maktoum — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi (L) met with various leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arabia in recent days, including Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (R). Here, Kadhimi speaks during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Oct. 20, 2020, while Maktoum attends the sixth stage of the UAE Cycling Tour From Dubai Deira Islands to The Palm Jumeriah on Feb. 26, 2021. — GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images (R)

“Our region has suffered a lot, and the time has come for that suffering to be consigned to oblivion and for us to look to the future and work to enhance coexistence and pluralism, regardless of cultural or national differences,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi told the official Emirates News Agency shortly after his visit to the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi on April 4.

Kadhimi’s words are crucial to understanding the reason behind his visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the space of a few days.

Given its geographic location, Iraq has always been a crossroads. This has been both a blessing and a curse, especially when it has come to war (1980-88) and friction with Iran, and the terror of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Iraq is also prone to smuggling operations involving drugs, contraband goods, weapons, oil and foreign fighters.

Kadhimi deepens cooperation with Saudi Arabia, UAE in Gulf tour

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is pursuing two-track diplomacy, expanding cooperation with both Levant and Gulf countries.

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