A Saudi delegation arrives in Iran to discuss arrangements for opening an embassy
Saudi officials arrived in Iran on Saturday to discuss measures to reopen the Kingdom’s embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry. The move came after China brokered an agreement to restore relations between the two countries.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that “the Saudi technical team for discussing mechanisms for reopening the Saudi Kingdom’s representations in the Islamic Republic of Iran arrived in the capital, Tehran, in implementation of the joint tripartite agreement.”
Saudi Arabia is taking serious steps to normalize relations with Iran in order to end tensions and bring peace to the region.
After years of animosity and stoking conflicts throughout the Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in March to end their diplomatic rift and reopen diplomatic missions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping helped broker the surprise deal that sidelined the United States.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016 after storming its embassy in Tehran amid a row over the execution of a Shiite cleric by Riyadh.
On Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Beijing, the first meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers in nearly seven years.
The two ministers agreed on a number of issues, including the continuation of coordination between technical teams from the two sides to discuss the resumption of flights, mutual visits and facilitation of granting visas to citizens of the two countries, including Umrah visas.
They also underlined the keenness to implement two agreements, one on security cooperation signed in 2001 and another on the economy, signed in 1998.
They also agreed to intensify consultation meetings to achieve more positive prospects for relations and to reaffirm the readiness to do everything possible to overcome any obstacles to promoting bilateral cooperation.
The Iranian media had reported that Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz had officially summoned Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi to Riyadh, which the latter had agreed to, but the Saudi side did not confirm this information.
Countries in the region and beyond have hailed the Iran-Saudi deal as a positive step toward stability that could pave the way for greater regional diplomatic rapprochement.
The White House welcomed the agreement, but said it was not yet clear whether the Iranians “will honor their commitments.” France also welcomed the move, saying it supports dialog but urging Iran to “renounce its destabilizing actions.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also praised the move and said he remained ready to offer his “good offices to further advance the regional dialog.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia, regional rivals, have been engaged in regional proxy conflicts such as the war in Yemen, with Tehran supporting the Houthi rebels and the kingdom backing the legitimate government.
