Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to open embassies and diplomatic missions in both countries and to improve economic cooperation, signs of reconciliation after seven years of hostility between the two countries.
The agreements were reached during a visit to Beijing by the two foreign ministers, Hussein Amirabdoliya and Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud. The AP agency reports that the agreements were reached this week through Chinese mediation, and they reduce the danger of an armed conflict between the two policies.
It is also an important diplomatic achievement for China in the Gulf region, and another attempt to end the war in Yemen, in which Saudi Arabia and Iran are involved.
The Iranian news agency IRNA said that the two sides will discuss the possibility of renewing flights between them and simplifying procedures for obtaining visas for mutual visits.
It was Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning who announced that the two foreign countries had signed a joint statement. China announced that it supports the countries in the MAZ “that maintain strategic independence and renounce foreign involvement”.
On Saudi television, the two foreign ministers were seen shaking hands in the Chinese capital. This was the first meeting at such a high level between Iran and Saudi Arabia since 2016, when Tehran severed ties with Riyadh.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Union Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen also visited Beijing this week. Macron called on the President of China to cooperate with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.