Saudi delegation arrives in Iran to discuss reopening of diplomatic missions

A diplomatic delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Tehran on Saturday to discuss the reopening of its diplomatic missions since 2016, according to Riyadh’s foreign ministry. The discussions are expected to focus on resumption of official relations, reopening of embassies and consulates, and mutual interests. The Saudi Foreign Ministry quoted the official Saudi Press Agency as saying that Saturday’s visit is part of “implementing a trilateral agreement” reached on March 10 between the two regional powers, mediated by China, to restore ties broken in 2016. An unprecedented meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries took place in China this week after agreeing last month to restore diplomatic ties after a seven-year hiatus. The UAE downgraded ties with Iran in January 2016 after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran, Dawn reported. Hostilities between Iran and Saudi Arabia have previously threatened stability and security in the Gulf, and fueled conflict in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria. However, in a significant breakthrough last month, Riyadh announced it would reset ties with Tehran in a China-brokered deal, a step-change in years of hostility between the two countries. In the first high-level meeting between Iran and Saudi Arabia in seven years, Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signed an agreement to reopen embassies and consulates in their respective countries Did it Iran issued a statement saying that the two sides expressed their willingness to remove any obstacles to the expansion of cooperation between their nations. Embassies will be located in Tehran and Riyadh, while consulates will be established in Mashhad and Jeddah. The two longtime Middle East rivals have now pledged to work together. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdullahian met in Beijing on Thursday and vowed to bring “security and stability” to the troubled Gulf region. SPA said on Saturday a Saudi “technical delegation” met Iran’s chief of protocol at the foreign ministry in Tehran. (ANI)