Iraq, Saudi Arabia sign border security agreement for first time in 40 years

Iraq, Saudi Arabia sign border security agreement for first time in 40 years
Iraq and Saudi Arabia have signed a border security agreement, the first of its kind in 40 years and a sign of strengthening ties between the neighbour states. 
2 min read
20 February, 2023
The Arar border crossing between Iraq and Saudi Arabia was reopened in 2020 [Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty]

Iraq and Saudi Arabia have signed a border security agreement, the first of its kind in 40 years and a sign of strengthening ties between the neighbour states. 

The "security memorandum of understanding" was signed by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud and his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Amir al-Shammari in Riyadh, the Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement Sunday.

The deal was the first of its kind to be signed by the two countries since 1983, according to the statement.

Iraqi and Saudi statements about the signing of the memorandum offered little detail about its contents.

The Iraqi statement mentioned only that the agreement "included all forms of security cooperation, exchange of views and activation of joint security work".

However, an Iraqi official told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on condition of anonymity that Saudi officials had at the meeting "focused on the importance of regular forces taking over security at the border". 

Relations between Baghdad and Riyadh were tense for much of Saddam Hussein's brutal reign of Iraq.

Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic ties with Iraq in 1990 following its invasion of Kuwait. It shut its only border crossing with Iraq, Arar, only reopening it at the end of 2020.

Security at the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border has been a sticking point between the two countries for years, due to the presence of Iran-backed militias on the Iraqi side of the frontier in recent years.

The armed groups moved into the area during the war with the Islamic State (IS) group that had taken control of much of western Iraq in 2014.

Riyadh has accused Iran-backed militias of conducting attacks on Saudi Arabia from Iraqi soil.

For the past two years, Iraq has been mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia. There have been several rounds of talks between the regional rivals, but they stalled last year.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud visited Iraq earlier this month, where he pledged more Saudi investment in Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said.