Diplomats Discuss Promotion of Iran-Saudi Ties
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ranking diplomats from Iran and Saudi Arabia weighed plans to strengthen relations between the two countries.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri and his Saudi counterpart Waleed Abdulkarim El Khereiji held a meeting on the sidelines of the first meeting of the Iran-China-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee in Beijing on Friday.
They reviewed the bilateral ties and the trend of cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh over the past nine months, highlighting the need to continue high-level consultations on the issues of mutual interest and to enhance interaction.
The two diplomats also emphasized the necessity of an immediate end to the Zionist regime’s attacks on Gaza and urgent delivery of aid supplies to oppressed Palestinian people.
After intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia clinched a deal on March 10 to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions after seven years of estrangement.
The two regional heavyweights have underscored the need to respect each other’s national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.
In June, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani unveiled plans for the formation a new naval coalition in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean by a number of regional countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Later, in August, defense ministry officials of the two states reached an agreement on exchanging military attachés.