The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing yesterday for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats in more than seven years after China brokered a deal to restore relations between the regional powers.
fter years of hostility that fuelled conflicts across the Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to end their diplomatic rift and reopen diplomatic missions in a significant deal that was facilitated by China.
In brief footage broadcast on Iranian state TV, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, greeted each other before sitting down side- by-side.
Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Gulf’s dominant Sunni Muslim and Shi’ite Muslim powers respectively, said in a joint statement they would launch arrangements to reopen embassies and consulates within the two-month period stipulated in the deal.
“The technical teams will continue coordination to examine ways of expanding cooperation including the resumption of flights and bilateral visits of official and private sector delegations and facilitating the granting of visas for the citizens of the two countries,” they said.
In a tweet, Iran’s Amirabdollahian said the meeting with his Saudi counterpart was “positive”, adding that “the emphasis on stability and sustainable security” were among the issues agreed upon and “on the common agenda”.
In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping helped broker the surprise deal in a display of Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East. China’s role shook up dynamics in a conflict-ridden region where the US has for decades been the main mediator. In a meeting with the Iranian and Saudi envoys, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Beijing supports countries in the Middle East in upholding their strategic independence, getting rid of external “interference” and keeping the region’s future in their own hands.
The detente between the Sunni kingdom and the revolutionary Shi’ite theocracy could help stabilise the Middle East, where the two sides have supported sectarian proxy forces that are either at daggers drawn or openly at war.
Beijing’s role in brokering the rapproachment was seen by some experts as signalling a loss of influence by the US with Saudi Arabia, amid tensions between the long-time allies over a range of issues, including human rights and Saudi oil production cuts.
CIA Director Bill Burns travelled to the kingdom to reaffirm
decades-old intelligence cooperation, including on counter-terrorism, a US official said yesterday. They did not disclose when the visit took place.