Jordan, Iran diplomats agree to discuss bilateral ties: Amman

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Apr 2023 23:07

Jordan's Foreign Minister and his Iranian counterpart underline that Amman and Tehran are going to discuss bolstering their bilateral ties in light of the Arab-Iranian rapprochement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, together with Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein and King Abdullah II of Jordan (AFP)

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, his Iranian counterpart, spoke on the phone and decided to meet soon to discuss resolving issues in their bilateral relations, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

"Foreign Minister of the fraternal Islamic Republic of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called [Jordanian] Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi," the ministry's statement read.

"The ministers agreed to meet in the near future to discuss ways to overcome difficulties in the relations between our two fraternal countries and bring them on the normal track," Amman added.

The phone call saw the top diplomats discuss bilateral relations between the two nations and recent developments in the region, with Safadi stressing that Jordan, just like the rest of the Arab World, seeks to maintain good relations with Iran based on the principles of good neighborliness, non-interference in internal affairs, and cooperation, the statement read.

Iranian Charge d'Affaires in the Jordanian city of Amman Ali Asghar Naseri told Russian news agency Sputnik in December 2022 that Tehran was willing to strengthen relations with neighboring countries of Western Asia, including Jordan.

Jordan and Iran seeking to boost their ties come amid warming ties between Iran and several Arab states, with Iranian Foreign Ministry Office for Persian Gulf Affairs Alireza Enayati saying Tehran was attempting to reopen its embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah before Hajj-ul-Tamattu, a period between Hajj and Umrah, and by late May.

"In the framework of an agreement reached between Iran and Saudi Arabia to reopen the embassies in Tehran and Riyadh and consulates in Mashhad and Jeddah, a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Tehran on Saturday and visited the kingdom's embassy in Tehran," the Iranian official told the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) in an exclusive interview.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said last week that initial steps to appoint ambassadors between Saudi Arabia and Iran were taking place and that a delegation from Tehran would travel to Riyadh on April 11 to prepare the opening of the Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia's capital and the consulate in Jeddah.

Saudi technical specialists landed in Tehran to prepare for the opening of the Saudi Arabia embassy and the consulate general in Mashhad.

These measures are carried out within the framework of the Chinese-brokered agreement on restoring the two countries' diplomatic relations, which was concluded on March 10.