Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz stressed on Monday his country’s support for the unity of Iraqi and rejection of the results of a recent Kurdish referendum for independence.

"Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi received a phone call from the Saudi monarch who said Saudi Arabia was closely following up the latest developments in the oil-producing city of Kirkuk," Abadi’s office said in a statement carried by the Iraqi Beirut-based Al Sumaria TV channel.

King Salman also pointed to victories achieved by Iraq against terrorism and asserted the kingdom’s keenness on building the best relations with Iraq and boosting cooperation.

Abadi, for his part, appreciated Saudi Arabia’s support for Iraq. He said that the Iraqi government has redeployed troops to Kirkuk in a quick and smooth operation which left no casualties. 

He noted that Kirkuk should be under the control of the central government in line with the constitution.

Source: MENA