RIYADH: The top envoys for Saudi Arabia and Iran will meet in Beijing on Thursday, an Iranian official and a Saudi-owned newspaper said, as the two countries work to hash out next steps of their diplomatic rapprochement amid a China-brokered deal.
The meeting between Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, will be the first formal meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran’s most senior diplomats in more than seven years.
Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end their diplomatic rift and re-open embassies in a major deal facilitated by China last month.
“The top envoys agreed to meet on April 6 in Beijing as the deal was facilitated by China,” a senior Iranian official said.
Choosing China “came as an extension of Beijing’s positive role in reaching the agreement and facilitating communication between the two countries,” Saudi-owned newspaper
cited an unidentified source in Riyadh as saying.
The resumption of the relations that was announced last month and arrangements for the exchange of ambassadors will be discussed in the meeting, it added.
Beijing’s role in the breakthrough between Tehran and Riyadh shook up dynamics in the Middle East, where the United States was for decades the main mediator, flexing its security and diplomatic muscles.
“The regional countries are capable of preserving security and stability in the Middle East,” another Iranian official said.
“The next steps will be discussed in the Beijing meeting, such as re-opening of the embassies and appointing ambassadors.”
After several of its allies led the way, Riyadh restored diplomatic relations with Tehran last month in a fence-mending deal brokered by Beijing.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has accepted an invitation to Riyadh from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber confirmed on Monday.
Meanwhile, Iran has named an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates nearly eight years after his predecessor left.
“After some eight years, the foreign ministry has named Reza Ameri as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s new ambassador to the United Arab Emirates,” Iran’s official news agency reported late on Tuesday. The move comes after Iran welcomed an Emirati ambassador last September ending a six-year absence. — Agencies
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