Iran, Saudi Foreign Minister to hold meeting in near future

“So far, we have agreed [with Saudi Arabia] that technical delegations from both sides will visit embassies and consulates general and make preparation for their practical reopening,” Amir-Abdollahian said at a press conference in Tehran on Sunday.

He added that the promotion of peace in the region has been among the main issues that Iran and Saudi Arabia underlined in their recently-signed agreement to restore diplomatic relations after seven years of estrangement.

Tehran and Riyadh have agreed to restore normal relations and exchanged messages through Switzerland during the last 10 days, he explained, adding that Iran has expressed its readiness to hold a meeting of foreign ministers and “proposed three locations for this meeting.”

The top Iranian diplomat noted that the two sides had held five rounds of security talks in the Iraqi capital Baghdad and finally agreed with an initiative made by Chinese President Xi Jinping during Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi’s visit to Beijing last month.

After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally clinched a deal on March 10 to restore diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months.

According to a joint statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia underscored the need to respect each other’s national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.

Iran, Saudi Arabia and China also expressed their firm determination to make their utmost efforts to promote regional and international peace and security.

Back in September 2022, the UAE reinstated its ambassador to Iran, more than six years after ties between the two sides were downgraded following the storming of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran by protesters over Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shia cleric, Sheikh Baqir al-Nimr.