Saudi Arabia has named an ambassador to Iraq to re-establish full diplomatic ties for the first time since Saddam Hussein invaded neighboring Kuwait, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Tuesday.

“For the first time since 1990, the Saudis have named an ambassador to Iraq,” Zebari said.

The announcement came as the Middle East faces a deepening split between Shiite and Sunni Muslim powers over the crisis in Syria and Western pressure on Iran.