FACTBOX: Regional ties with Iraq growing

(Reuters) - Kuwait's first ambassador to Baghdad since Iraq briefly invaded its neighbor in 1990 formally took office on Wednesday, joining a growing list of envoys from Arab states strengthening ties with the Shi'ite-led government.

Following are some details on the region's relations with Iraq:

KUWAIT - Ali al-Mumin, Kuwait's first ambassador to Baghdad in 18 year, presented his credentials to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in a sign of the "depth of relations between the two brotherly countries," Talabani's office said on Wednesday.

RECENT MOVES:

BAHRAIN - Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa visited Iraq last week in a sign of improved ties. Bahrain, like one of several Arab countries, has recently dispatched an ambassador to Iraq. At the end of August, Bahrain named Salah al-Malki as its first ambassador since 2003. EGYPT - Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit made an unannounced visit to Baghdad in early October, together with Egypt's energy minister. Egypt planned to assess the security situation "within months" with a view to possibly sending an ambassador. Egypt's last envoy was kidnapped and killed shortly after arriving in 2005.

IRAN - Non-Arab Shi'ite Iran has strong ties with Iraq at many levels. Iran has a fully functioning embassy in Baghdad and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a high-profile trip to Baghdad last March. Iran has links to key Shi'ite parties and politicians in Iraq. Many prominent Iraqi Shi'ites lived in exile in Iran during Saddam's rule.

JORDAN - In August, Jordan's King Abdullah visited Baghdad, where he discussed improving security conditions with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Jordan recently named an ambassador to Baghdad, though it is unclear when he will take up the post.

A truck bomb killed 17 people outside Jordan's embassy in Baghdad in August 2003.

LEBANON - Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was accompanied by the finance and foreign affairs ministers and other high-ranking officials in a Baghdad visit in August to discuss energy and trade. Lebanon shares Iraq's experience of seeking to end sectarian conflict by forming a government that balances the interests of competing communities.

SAUDI ARABIA - Oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia said last year it would open an embassy but it has not yet named an ambassador.

SYRIA - The governments of Iraq and Syria have a history of animosity since rival factions of the Baath Party took power in the two countries in the 1960s. Their embassies were shut and reopened only last year after Syria sent its foreign minister to Iraq. No ambassadors have been named. Iraq accuses Syria of not doing enough to stop militants crossing into Iraq.

TURKEY - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan visited Iraq in July, which could signal Ankara will upgrade its political ties. Relations have often been dominated by the presence of PKK Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, who launch attacks on Turkey.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Abdullah Ibrahim al-Shehhi, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Iraq, took up his post on September 9.