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Iraq, Qatar grow closer in wake of Gulf crisis

Following the tension between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the relationship between Iraq and Qatar has become strong and many Iraqi politicians support Qatar against Saudi Arabia.

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Iraqi parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri meets with the emir of Qatar in Doha, Qatar, in this photo posted on June 4, 2017. — Twitter/@MethaqAlFayyadh

Although the official Iraqi position indicates that Iraq has been neutral vis-a-vis the escalating crisis between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the recent rapprochement between Iraq and Qatar as well as the sympathetic attitudes of Iraqi politicians with Qatar tell a different story.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said June 6, commenting on the Gulf crisis, “Iraq is not taking any side. We are maintaining good relations with all countries.”

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