Makkah, Ramadan 25, 1438, June 20, 2017, SPA -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Iraq issued today the following joint statement: At the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Prime Minister of Republic of Iraq Haider Al-Abadi paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday, 24 Ramadan 1438 AH corresponding to 19 June 2017 AD. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Prime Minister held a session of talks attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, and a number of senior officials of the two countries, during which they exchanged views on the prospects and ways of developing bilateral relations and intensifying cooperation in all areas for the service of the two brotherly peoples and the common interests existing between the two countries, especially in political, security, economic, trade, investment and energy fields, and discussed regional and international issues of common concern. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense also held a session of talks with Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. During the two sessions, the two sides commended what is binding the two countries and their brotherly peoples of the ties of religion, brotherhood, neighborliness, bonds and common destiny, expressing their happiness over what has been recorded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Iraq of a qualitative leap in relations between them, stressing the importance of the regular exchanges of visits between officials of the two countries as well as businessmen to explore opportunities to support economic and trade relations and develop them to prospects for the interest of the two countries. --More 13:50 LOCAL TIME 10:50 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w431741