"Saudi Arabia believes that Iraq is advancing Iranian policy, while Iraq believes that Saudi Arabia supports terrorism; both of these assumptions are wrong," he said.
Ali al-Tamimi, an expert on international relations, told Sputnik Arabic that relations with its neighbors are incredibly important for Iraq, as Baghdad needs allies with significant clout in global politics.
"The (Iraqi) government needs to improve relations not just with Saudi Arabia, but with other neighboring countries as well, because this is the only way to maintain domestic security and to ensure that neither terrorists nor criminals would be able to cross the Iraqi border," al-Tamimi said.
He added that Iraq needs to negotiate with its neighbors in order to resolve territorial disputes and in order to secure their assistance for post-war reconstruction and solve the refugee problem.
"Finding a solution for a possible Iraqi natural gas pipe across Saudi Arabia may become the beginning of a fruitful cooperation between the two nations. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays a key role in the region and in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. Saudi Arabia may begin investing in Iraq, and the Sunnis wholeheartedly support al-Abadi’s intentions to improve relations with the kingdom," al-Tamimi added.
Meanwhile, prominent political analyst Hadi Jalu Muri, head of the Strategic Decisions Center, told Sputnik that the Middle Eastern policy of US President Donald Trump differs from that of his predecessor Barack Obama; and while Trump as yet haven’t made any critical statements regarding Iraq, it is clear that a lot of people side with Iraq’s stance on Bahrain.
"The Iraqi prime minister considers the future and apparently believes that over a hundred thousand armed men from the Popular Mobilization Forces who are accused of close cooperation with Iran might become a pretext for a second American invasion. Al-Abadi is being forced to oppose this power, and this whole situation encourages the US leadership to increase pressure on Tehran and force Iran to abandon its positions in Iraq," he explained.
