Iraqi Foreign Ministry Urges Saudi Arabia to Change Ambassador to Baghdad

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Iraqi Foreign Ministry officially asked Saudi Arabia on Sunday to replace its Ambassador to Baghdad Thamer Sabhan because of his controversial statements, the ministry said in a statement.

During his tenure, Sabhan has been repeatedly criticized by Iraqi officials for his remarks about Iranian influence over the Shia government in Iraq, as well as about Shia militia, which is fighting against the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militant group (outlawed in Russia), igniting hatred toward Iraq's Sunni population.

"The Iraqi Foreign Ministry asks its colleagues from Saudi Arabia to replace the kingdom's ambassador in Baghdad," the statement said, as quoted by Alsumaria broadcaster.

​Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Iraq in 2015 after a 25-year pause in diplomatic ties, following the Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait during the rule of the country's leader Saddam Hussein. Sabhan became the first Saudi ambassador to Iraq since 1990.