Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to hold a bilateral meeting soon

March 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan al Saud, has confirmed that, in a call to his Iranian counterpart, Hosein Amirabdolahian, they have agreed to a bilateral meeting shortly to organize the resumption of diplomatic relations.

During the call, in which the ministers congratulated each other on the month of Ramadan, they promised to meet “soon” to discuss the issue of reopening the embassies and consulates between the two countries, as published by the newspaper ‘Al Arabiya’.

These types of meetings were already advanced a few days ago by Faisal after both countries announced the resumption of their diplomatic relations on March 10.

The agreement was carried out with the mediation of China, in whose capital, Beijing, senior Iranian and Saudi security officials met for five days.

Tehran and Riyadh severed diplomatic relations in 2016 following an attack on Saudi missions in Iran by protesters calling for a halt to the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and are now locked indirectly through the Yemen war, where Riyadh backs the Yemeni government while Tehran does the same with the Huthi insurgency.

Iran announced a few days ago that the agreement could lead to a ceasefire in Yemen, and the Saudi Arabian government said it saw “many opportunities” for investment in Iran if “good will continues.”

The resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries has also been celebrated by the UN, the European Union and the United States.