2023-06-03 13:23:00
TEHRAN, June 3 (Xinhua) — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed issues relating to the resumption and development of bilateral relations.
The meeting was held on Friday on the sidelines of the Friends of BRICS meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Iranian Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the progress made towards resuming their bilateral relations, adding that the two sides had introduced their ambassadors to each other and that the ground had been prepared for the reopening of embassies and consulates general in the two countries.
He thanked the Saudi side for making arrangements and providing facilities for Iranian Hajj pilgrims this year.
Recalling his previous talks with the Saudi Foreign Minister regarding the improvement of bilateral trade and economic relations, Mr. Amir-Abdollahian said that the upcoming visit of his Saudi counterpart to Tehran would provide the two sides with an opportunity to exchange views on strengthening bilateral relations in different areas.
He described the BRICS as a new opportunity for multilateral cooperation between Iran, Saudi Arabia and member states of the group in the fields of economy and trade.
For his part, the Saudi minister also welcomed the “very good” progress of bilateral relations, adding that he would soon go to Tehran.
He thanked the Iranian side for their valuable assistance in hosting the Saudi technical delegation to lay the groundwork for the opening of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran.
He said that thanks to their “very good” cooperation, the two sides had quickly passed the stages of appointing ambassadors and preparing the ground for the reopening of diplomatic missions, and were now moving towards a new stage of relations. bilateral agreements that might safeguard their interests and those of the entire region.
Last March, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached an unprecedented agreement in Beijing to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and missions within two months.
On April 6, the two countries officially announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in response to attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the kingdom executed a Shia cleric. END
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