Governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority Ahmed al-Kholifey (L) and Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan (C) attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Video Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 18, 2020. Group 20 (G20) finance ministers and central banks governors vowed on Saturday to take immediate and exceptional measures to address COVID-19. During the video meeting held on Saturday, they welcomed the progress of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), said a statement by the Saudi G20 Presidency. (G20 Saudi Arabia/Handout via Xinhua)

Saudi Arabia's 84-year-old ruler King Salman was admitted to hospital in Riyadh Monday for gall bladder inflammation, the royal court said, prompting the postponement of the Iraqi prime minister's high-profile visit.

It is rare for Saudi Arabia to report on the health of the ageing monarch, who has ruled the top oil exporter and the Arab world's biggest economy since 2015.

King Salman is the second reigning monarch in the Gulf to be hospitalized after Kuwait's 91-year-old emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was admitted to hospital last week, at a time when the region is gripped by the twin crises of the coronavirus pandemic and a plunge in crude prices.

A Saudi royal court statement said King Salman was "admitted today to King Faisal specialist hospital in Riyadh for some medical tests due to cholecystitis," inflammation of the gall bladder.

The statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency around 4:30 am (0130 GMT) did not disclose any further details.

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 hospitalization, 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.

AFP