Iraq's prime minister meets with Saudi King Salman on first visit to Riyadh

The Iraqi premier met with King Salman on Wednesday. 

Abdul-Mahdi went to Riyadh accompanied by a delegation including officials and businessmen.

Delegations from the two sides will discuss trade as the primary subject of meetings. Energy and political cooperation are among other topics.

On April 4, Saudi Arabia reopened its consulate in Baghdad for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Following the reopening, Saudi Minister of Trade Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi said the move marked a "new phase" in relations between Riyadh and Baghdad.

Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic ties with Iraq and closed its Baghdad embassy in 1990 after then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The mission was reopened in January 2016.

But consular services remained suspended and Iraqis applying for visas had to go through the Saudi embassy in neighboring Jordan.

Iraqi officials have often accused Riyadh of abetting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which was largely defeated in Iraq and Syria in late 2017. Iraq managed to defeat the terror group thanks to support from its allies, including Iran.