Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers to hold historic meeting in Beijing

Riyadh, The Gulf Observer: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian will hold their historic meeting in Beijing on Thursday, April 6, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

The Beijing meeting preceded three telephone conversations between the two ministers in recent weeks after signing the agreement, brokered by China, on March 10.

During the phone talks, the ministers discussed a number of key issues related to the resumption of bilateral diplomatic ties, such as the next steps to be taken with regard to implementation of the agreement; procedures for reopening diplomatic missions; and activating the previous agreements signed between the two countries before severing the relations.

The main purpose of the meeting is to activate the content of the landmark agreement to resume bilateral diplomatic relations, and to arrange the exchange of ambassadors after a hiatus of seven years.

According to the report, the choice of Beijing as the venue for the meeting between the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers comes as an extension of Beijing’s positive role in reaching the agreement and facilitating communication between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia and Iran, along with China, announced in a joint statement on March 10 that the agreement will be implemented within 60 days. The tripartite statement emphasized the respect for the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.

It also affirmed the activation of all joint agreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran, including the security cooperation agreement, and the cooperation agreement in the fields of economy, trade, investment, technology, science, culture, sports and youth.

The signing of the historic agreement to restore diplomatic ties took place after several rounds of negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Baghdad and Muscat, and these were followed by the last round of negotiations held in Beijing from March 6 to 10.

In the talks, the Saudi delegation was headed by Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and National Security Adviser Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban while the Iranian delegation was headed by Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council Admiral Ali Shamkhani.

This historic initiative came after seven years of severing relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, following the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate Mashhad, in January 2016, and ransacking and burning of its properties. These incidents prompted the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask Iranian diplomats to quit the Kingdom within 48 hours while calling back its diplomats from Iran.