Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari here on Sunday spoke of an impasse in Baghdad-Riyadh relationships, saying that Iraq has closer ties with Iran than Arab states, Mehr News Agency reported.
We have reached an impasse in our ties with Saudi Arabia during the past years, Zebari said, calling the cooperation "confusing".
He also described his country's relationship with Iran and Turkey stronger than Arab countries.
There have been stronger ties between Iraq and the Islamic countries including Iran and Turkey compared with Arab states over the past years, the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted Zebari as saying in Manama.
"Defeat of Iraq is not the same as defeat in Somalia and Afghanistan," he said, stressing that Iraq's defeat is regarded "the whole regional countries' defeat".
Referring to great potentials the regional countries have, he called on Arab states to put expansion of ties with Baghdad on their agenda.