Iraqi prime minister in a meeting with Saudi King Salman in Jeddah.

:: The Iraqi government announced that the Saudi Arabian consulate will open in the city of Basra within two weeks.

Under the direction of Saudi leadership, the consulate will be in a temporary location with its staff set to arrive to begin working soon.

The head of the Saudi delegation, Abdulrahman al-Shehri, who visited the Iraqi city on Sunday said that the consulate will open soon in order to provide needed services and facilitate pilgrimage and travel of investors between both countries.

An official from Basra’s Administrative Affairs office said in a press release that the city will facilitate all procedures in order to re-open the consulate as soon as possible.

The Saudi consulate in Basra had closed in 1990 during the second Gulf war. Basra is considered the second largest city in Iraq and hosts five other consulates which include the US consulate, Russia and Iran.