Saudi Arabia and Iran agree to reopen embassies during Beijing talks on resumption of diplomatic ties
Hong Kong
CNN
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The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran met in Beijing on Thursday to discuss key details of their resumption of relations after a landmark agreement brokered by China last month.
In the highest-level meeting between the two sides in more than seven years, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian of Iran and Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to reopen embassies and consulates in countries their joint family, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. .
The two sides – former adversaries who severed diplomatic ties in 2016 – also agreed to consider ways to expand cooperation, including the resumption of flights and joint trips of official delegations. and the private sector, and visa facilitation, according to their statement, issued by Iran.
“The two sides emphasized their readiness to remove all obstacles to the expansion of cooperation between the two countries,” the statement read.
Embassies will be opened in Riyadh and Tehran and consulates in Jeddah and Mashhad.
Iran’s Amir-Abdollahian said the meeting with his Saudi counterpart was “positive” in a statement on Twitter.
The discussions focused on the “beginning of formal diplomatic relations” between the two countries, “emphasizing stability, stable security and development of the region,” he said.
The meeting was the highest-level meeting between Iranian and Saudi officials in more than seven years and came after the two sides agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties following talks in Beijing in March.
Video released by Saudi state media on Thursday shows the two ministers holding hands as they pose for a photo, encouraged by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who is standing in the middle.
The resumption of relations between the two countries is seen as a diplomatic victory for China in the Gulf that has long been seen as part of the US sphere of influence.
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi called the agreement “a victory for dialogue and a victory for peace”, and saw it as part of China’s “constructive role in creating conditions for satisfactory settlement of hot-spot issues around the world,” according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry in March when the deal was announced.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Beijing would continue to work to improve relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
China is willing to continue to play an active role in reconciliation, support the two sides to strengthen ties, realize the good neighborly friendship, and contribute China’s wisdom and strength to security. stability and development of the Middle East region,” Mao said at his regular press conference.
Riyadh severed ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Arabian embassy in the Iranian capital following the execution of a Shi’ite cleric in Saudi Arabia. Since then, they have waged a proxy war involving several neighboring states, bringing the region closer to conflict.
The two countries also support opposing sides in Yemen’s civil war, which the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
However, Saudi Arabia has engaged in direct negotiations with the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, and a unofficial ceasefire seems to be holding.
The statement released on Thursday afternoon made no mention of that conflict, but included a pledge to “expand their cooperation in any area that can ensure the security and stability of the region and to show the interests of nations and nations”.
