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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Beijing on April 6. Via the Mehr news agency.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud shook hands in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on April 6, in the highest-level meeting between the two sides after a seven years long rift between Tehran and Riyadh that fueled instability in the Middle East.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on March 10 to restore relations after Chinese-mediated talks. The kingdom broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran. Riyadh had executed a prominent Shia cleric days earlier.
During the new meeting in Begin, Amirabdollahian and bin Farhan signed an agreement to reopen embassies and consulates in their mutual countries. Embassies would be opened in Riyadh and Tehran and consulates in Jeddah and Mashhad.
The two sides also agreed to examine ways to expand their cooperation, including the resumption of flights, mutual trips from official delegations and the private sector, and facilitating visas, according to a joint statement.
“The two sides emphasized the importance of following up on the implementation of the Beijing Agreement and its activation in a way that expands mutual trust and the fields of cooperation and helps create security, stability and prosperity in the region,” said the statement.
Footage of the breakthrough meeting showed the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers joining hands while posing for photos, encouraged by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang who was standing in the middle.
In a tweet, Amirabdollahian said the meeting with his Saudi counterpart was “positive”, adding that “the emphasis on stability and sustainable security” were among the issues agreed upon and “on the common agenda”.
The Iranian-Saudi rapprochement is expected to help stabilize the Middle East. Riyadh is already working to restore relations with Damascus, the top regional ally of Tehran. The Yemeni peace process is also advancing, with reports of Tehran halting weapon supplies to its allies in the country, the Houthis (Ansar Allah).
The United States and Israel appear to be the biggest losers of this rapprochement, as they were both capitalizing on the indirect conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia to further their interests in the Middle East.
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