The first official meeting of the top diplomats of Saudi Arabia and Iran
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud met with his
Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdullahiyan in China and agreed to facilitate
the restoration of flights and provision of visas to citizens.
Riyadh (06 April
2023) Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has met
with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdullahyan in China, in which they agreed
to restore flights between the two countries and provide visas to citizens.
Agreed to facilitate. According to Arab News, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and his Iranian counterpart Hossein
Amirabdullahyan issued a joint statement at the end of their meeting in Beijing
on Thursday, the most senior of the countries in more than seven years. It was
the first official meeting of diplomats.
In a joint statement issued after the
meeting, it was agreed, among other things, to resume flights between the two
countries and facilitate the
issuance of visas for citizens, including Umrah visas,
at their respective embassies and consulates in Jeddah and Mashhad.
Arrangements for reopening will also be initiated, as well as visits by officials
and private sector delegations will resume. In their statement, the two
countries praised the Chinese government for hosting the meeting and also
thanked the Swiss government. Appreciated efforts to take care of Saudi and
Iranian interests.
Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed early last
month to restore diplomatic ties and reopen their embassies after years of
uneasy tensions between the two countries in talks brokered by China, on March 10.
In a tripartite statement issued in 2001, Riyadh and Tehran also agreed to
activate the Security Cooperation Agreement signed in 2001 and the Trade,
Economy, and Investment Agreement signed in 1998. National Security Adviser
Musa bin Mohammad Al-Aiban and Iran's top security official Ali Shamkhani
signed.
