Baghdad, Aug 28 (IANS): The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Baghdad and discussed means to enhance bilateral ties and the developments in the Middle East.

A statement by his office on Thursday said that al-Kadhimi emphasized to the visiting Saudi minister and his accompanying delegation that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a true partner of Iraq", Xinhua news agency reported.

"Iraq is looking forward to building distinguished relations based on the deep legacy of the historical ties between the two countries," al-Kadhimi said.

For his part, the Saudi chief of diplomacy, who arrived in Baghdad earlier in the day, said that his country is looking forward to the upcoming visit of al-Kadhimi to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that would contribute to strengthening cooperation, and to activate the agreements concluded between the two sides, the statement said.

Al-Kadhimi also discussed with the Saudi delegation the economic cooperation and means to achieve a balance in oil production of the two countries, in a way that reduces the economic burden on Iraq, which suffers from the low prices of crude oil in the world markets, according to the statement.

On July 20, al-Kadhimi postponed his official visit to the neighbouring country of Saudi Arabia after the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was admitted to hospital for health problems due to an inflammation of the gall bladder.