Saudi delegation arrives in Iran to discuss reopening of diplomatic missions

Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], April 9 : A Saudi Arabian diplomatic delegation arrived in Tehran on Saturday to discuss the reopening of its diplomatic missions since 2016, according to Riyadh's Foreign Ministry.

The focus of the discussions is expected to be on the resumption of official relationships, the reopening of embassies and consulates, and mutual interests.

Saturday's visit is part of "implementing the tripartite agreement" reached on March 10 between the two regional powers, brokered by China, to restore relations ruptured in 2016, the Saudi foreign ministry said, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The visit follows an unprecedented meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries in China this week after they agreed last month to restore diplomatic ties after a seven-year gap.

The UAE downgraded relations with Iran after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in January 2016 after Iran protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran following Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric, reported Dawn.

The mosity between Iran and Saudi Arabia had previously threatened stability and security in the Gulf, and fuelled conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria.

However, in a significant breakthrough last month, Riyadh announced that it would re-establish ties with Tehran in a China-brokered deal, marking a step-change in years of hostility between the two nations.

In the first high-level meeting between Iran and Saudi Arabia in over seven years, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian of Iran and Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to reopen embassies and consulates in their respective countries.

Iran released a statement saying that the two sides expressed their willingness to overcome any obstacles to expanding cooperation between their nations. The embassies will be located in Tehran and Riyadh, while the consulates will be established in Mashhad and Jeddah.

The two longtime Middle East rivals have now pledged to work together.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iran counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met in Beijing on Thursday and vowed to bring "security and stability" to the turbulent Gulf region.

On Saturday, a Saudi "technical delegation" met Iran's chief of protocol at the foreign ministry in Tehran, SPA said.