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.
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)
Hassan al-Mustafa
Hassan al-Mustafa
@halmustafa

“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.

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