Saudi delegation arrives in Tehran to discuss embassy reopening
The Saudi Press Agency reports the arrival of the Saudi technical team to discuss steps for reopening the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
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In this picture released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, right, and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud shake hands during their meeting in Beijing China, Thursday, April 6, 2023 (AP)
A Saudi delegation arrived in Iran to prepare for the reopening of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad.
The arrival of the Saudi technical team to Tehran is an implementation of the joint tripartite agreement of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China, and the continuation of talks between the two parties, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Earlier, the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a joint statement, at the end of their talks in the Chinese capital, Beijing, which stipulated the beginning of arrangements to reopen embassies and consulates, while expanding bilateral relations and cooperation.
The statement added that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian agreed with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, to resume the exchange of visits by state officials and private sector delegations.
It is noteworthy that after seven years of strained ties, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen missions in respective countries after a series of talks brokered in Beijing, China under the auspices of Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 10.
According to the joint statement, "the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume diplomatic ties and reopen embassies and missions within two months of talks."
Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council stated that he had conducted intensive negotiations with his Saudi counterpart to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries.
Shamkhani added that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to China, earlier this year, led to new and crucial negotiations between the two respective delegations.
