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This is the first visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian to Saudi Arabia
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian made his first visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the signing of the agreement to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Abdullahian met his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan. The Iranian delegation also included the newly appointed ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ali Reza Enayati, who said that “the restoration of relations between the two countries will have important effects on stability and the culture of dialogue in the Middle East region.”
And at the beginning of this month, the Saudi embassy in Iran officially started its work.
The restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, under Chinese auspices, was announced in Beijing on the tenth of last March. This event was one of the most prominent events that took place this year, due to the impact of this reconciliation on regional files that have not witnessed a breakthrough in years.
Saudi-Iranian relations have witnessed unprecedented tension over the past years. This tension began in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed the Saudi Shiite sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
The execution followed an attack by Iranians on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. The result was: severing diplomatic relations between the two countries, tension in the political discourse, and an increase in the level of political and media escalation.
However, the matter was not limited to Saudi Arabia only, but also included other Gulf countries that took a stand alongside Saudi Arabia against Iran, even if the method differed from one Gulf country to another.
This tension has negatively affected the political and security situation in several countries such as Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon… However, the Yemeni file remains the highest priority for the two countries.
Now, after the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, these files remain stuck without any progress… in the hope that this return will lead to political solutions that will end the current crises; The two sides agree to solve these obstacles because they are the cornerstone of the continuation of this relationship, which may become fragile in the event of failure to reach a solution that satisfies all parties with the least possible losses.
This matter was evident in the joint press conference held by the foreign ministers of the two countries after the end of their talks in Riyadh. The two sides affirmed that the talks were positive and fruitful and that they are witnessing progress and are moving in the right direction.
While Abdullahian thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its cooperation in facilitating Hajj and Umrah matters for the Iranians, bin Farhan thanked Iran for its support for Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to host the Expo 2030 international exhibition.
On this visit, bin Farhan said that it is “a continuation of the steps taken towards implementing the agreement to resume diplomatic relations and what it represents as a pivotal station in the history of the two countries and the path of regional security,” noting that this must be done on the basis of mutual respect between the two countries.
The Saudi minister called for activating previously signed agreements between the two countries, especially in the fields of economy and security.
Bin Farhan also indicated that Saudi Arabia extended an official invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi to visit Saudi Arabia – a visit that the Iranian foreign minister said would take place at the appropriate time.
The Iranian minister pointed out that the two parties agreed to name joint technical committees headed by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran, stressing the importance that his country attaches to the internal security of the Middle East region, and said in this regard: “Achieving security and development in the region is an idea that cannot be divided.”
Since the start of the thaw last March, that is, the date of the announcement of the restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Riyadh has restored its relationship with Damascus, Tehran’s ally, and intensified peace efforts in Yemen.
For its part, Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity in recent months and has tried to forge closer ties with other Arab countries in order to ease its isolation and boost its economy.
The two countries are considered major regional and international powers, and it seems that with the recent changes in the region from shuffling the cards between prominent players, Washington, Beijing and Moscow, Riyadh and Tehran consider that extending a hand of cooperation between them will contribute to directing regional and global equations in a direction that guarantees their interests in the first place.
Stability in the Middle East is the way to establish economic and financial stability, which is what both sides seek in their visions for the future: Saudi Arabia to achieve its Vision 2030, and Iran to overcome the consequences of international sanctions that have exhausted its economy and financial situation.
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2023-08-17 19:26:51
