Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has been admitted to hospital in Riyadh for medical tests, the royal court said in statement on Monday.
Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the king was admitted to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh to treat cholecystitis, or inflammation of the gallbladder.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi’s scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia, which was due to start on Monday, has been postponed after the king’s hospitalisation, according to the Saudi foreign minister.
“In recognition of the extremely important visit and a desire to make it a success, our wise leadership in coordination with our brothers in Iraq have decided to postpone the visit” until the king leaves hospital, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan wrote on Twitter.
Hours before Kadhemi was to set off on his first trip abroad as premier, his office said they heard King Salman was suffering from “a sudden health issue”.
“It was decided to postpone the visit to the earliest possible date agreed upon by the two sides,” his office said in a statement.
Iraq’s oil, finance, electricity and planning ministers arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to begin meetings ahead of Kadhemi’s visit, Iraqi officials told AFP.
The delegation is set to return to Baghdad after the meetings wrap up on Monday afternoon.
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