ARAR — Saudi Arabia and Iraq have reopened on Wednesday their border crossing at Jadeeda Arar after a hiatus of nearly 30 years. Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Sultan, the emir of the Northern Borders Region, opened the border crossing in a ceremony held in the presence of Iraq's Minister of Interior Othman Al-Ghanimi, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Saudi Arabia closed the border crossing in 1990 after diplomatic relations severed in the wake of Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. The two countries signed an agreement to reopen the border crossing in accordance with the decision of the 4th session of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council held on Nov. 10. During the virtual session of the council meeting, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi approved the historic decision. Upon arrival at the venue of the ceremony, Prince Faisal was received by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Walid Al-Khuraiji, Governor of the General Customs Authority Prof. Ahmed Al-Hakbani, and Governor of the General Authority for Foreign Trade Abdulrahman Al-Harbi. The emir unveiled the commemorative plaque to open a new port in Arar. Speaking on the occasion, Emir Prince Faisal stressed that the opening of the border crossing would strengthen the relations between the two countries and would usher in a new era serving the common interests of the two countries and their people. The emir looked forward to the port being a tributary of economic cooperation between the two countries. He lauded the efforts of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council in opening great horizons for cooperation between the two countries. In his speech, Al-Hakbani said that the port is of great importance and will help further boost trade flow between the two countries. For his part, Iraqi Minister of Interior Al-Ghanimi emphasized that the opening of the port from both sides will contribute to strengthening economic relations between the two countries, towards new horizons of cooperation in the commercial and development fields, in order to achieve the aspirations of the leadership and people of the two countries.
