Arar border crossing to officially open on October 15 - report

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Iraq said that the Arar border crossing will officially open on October 15, according to media reports.

The talks have been going on for a while between the two countries and earlier also there were reports that the border will be opened to enhance trade between the two nations. It will be the first time that the border will be opened since 1990 when it was closed after the countries cut ties following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. The Iraqi religious pilgrims had access to the crossing once in a year for Haj for the last 29 years.

In October 2017, two months before Iraq declared victory over ISIS, the countries established the Iraqi-Saudi Joint Coordination Council, to help rebuild devastated areas retaken from the militants in Iraq. Both the UAE and the Kingdom have increased their efforts to strengthen relations with Iraq to halt the growing regional influence of Iran. Saudi-Iraqi rapprochement extends back to 2015 when Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad following a 25-year break.