Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to pursue economic stability, foreign minister says
Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to jointly pursue economic stability, the Iranian foreign minister said on Thursday, as well as reopen missions in their respective countries, as the regional rivals moved towards reconciliation after seven years of tension.
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian made the announcement in a tweet after talks with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in Beijing.
The ministers also agreed to reopen embassies in the countries’ respective capitals and representative offices in two other major cities.
The deal calls for studying the prospect of resuming flights between the two countries and facilitating the visa process for the citizens of both.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are long-time regional rivals, but have moved towards reconciliation as part of a deal brokered by China last month.
The agreement represents a new step toward reconciliation after seven years of tension, and lowers the chance of armed conflict between the rivals – both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region.
It represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East.
It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.
On Thursday Saudi Arabia’s state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV showed Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian shaking hands and sitting side by side.
It was the first formal meeting of senior diplomats from the two nations since 2016, when the kingdom broke ties with Iran after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there.
Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shiite cleric with 46 others days earlier, triggering the demonstrations.
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