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Iran's Foreign Minister To Visit Saudi Arabia Since Ties Restored By China-Brokered Deal


 

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, visited Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

This was his first official visit to Saudi Arabia following a historic deal brokered by People’s Republic of China in March, according to state media. The IRIB state broadcaster reported that the one-day visit by the Iranian minister "is focusing on bilateral ties, regional, and international issues." The Iranian minister "will leave Tehran for Riyadh in a few hours," IRIB said on Thursday.

The ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran severed in 2016 when Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic of Iran were attacked during demonstrations. Iran slammed Saudi Arabia because Riyadh executed Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, which led to the severing of ties between Shiite-majority Saudi Arabia and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia.

According to reports, the longtime foes agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies as part of a deal brokered by the People's Republic of China in March.

Consequently, Iran held a flag-raising ceremony to reopen its embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Iranian state media said on Wednesday that military officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Moscow, the capital of Russia, on the sidelines of a security conference.

This week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran reportedly stated that Alireza Enayati, Iran's news ambassador to Saudi Arabia, "will accompany" the Iranian foreign minister on his trip on Thursday in order to "officially start his mission."

Iran said that the Saudi embassy in Tehran, the capital of Iran, had opened on August 9. However, Saudi Arabia has not yet verified this information. For many years, Iran and Saudi Arabia have reportedly supported opposite parties in crises around the Middle East region.


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