File photo shows Saudi embassy in Washington.

A Saudi delegation will travel to Baghdad this week to start preparations to reopen an embassy in the Iraqi, the Saudi Press Agency said on Saturday, citing an official source in the foreign ministry.

It said Saudi Arabia also plans to set up a general consulate in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Arbil.

“A technical committee from the Foreign Ministry will leave for the Iraqi capital Baghdad this week to coordinate with the Iraqi foreign ministry on the necessary arrangements for selecting and making ready the appropriate buildings for both missions, in preparation for them to start work in the Republic of Iraq at the earliest opportunity,” the SPA said.

Iraqi President Fouad Masoum visited Riyadh late last year, raising hopes of a tentative thaw in long-chilly relations between the Arab neighbors. Saudi Arabia closed its Baghdad embassy in 1990 following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

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