In the meeting that was held three months after Tehran and Riyadh agreed to restore diplomatic relations, the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues as well as cooperation between the two countries in international forums.
Referring to their previous meetings in Beijing and Cape Town, Amirabdollahian described the Saudi foreign minister’s visit to Tehran as a “positive step” to enhance previous correct steps to turn a new leaf in bilateral ties.
He expressed his satisfaction with the opening of Iran’s embassy in Riyadh and the consulate general and representative office at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.
The imminent opening of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate general in Mashhad is the basis of facilitating the improvement of ties between the two Muslim nations, he remarked.
The chief Iranian diplomat also referred to the dispatching of Iranian Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, calling for necessary preparations in a way that Iranian pilgrims can also attend the Umrah in the next step.
He announced Iran’s reciprocal measures to facilitate the traveling of Saudi citizens to different cities of Iran for pilgrimage and sightseeing.
Amirabdollahian welcomed the strengthening of economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries and called for the activation of the joint economic commission of the two countries and the holding of its meeting in the near future.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian foreign minister called the issue of Palestine the first and foremost issue of the Islamic world. He pointed to the satisfaction of the Palestinian nation over the resumption of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and highlighted the necessity of using the joint capacities of the two important Islamic countries to uphold the rights of the Palestinian nation.
Amirabdollahian also proposed the formation of joint committees to exchange expert views in order to boost political and consular relations as well as ties in the fields of tourism, transportation, energy, environment, fisheries, and drug trafficking battle.
Bin Farhan, for his part, thanked Iran for the official invitation and the warm welcoming ceremony, saying the meeting is a continuation of previous talks and agreements between the two sides in recent months and will bring blessings for Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as other regional nations.
He underscored his country’s determination to develop relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and open a new page in the relations between the two countries.
The chief Saudi diplomat said a mutual visit by Amirabdollahian to Riyadh in the near future would be a good opportunity to complete joint consultations regarding issues of mutual interest.
He also pointed to the previous official invitation of King Salman to President Raisi to visit Saudi Arabia and highlighted his country’s readiness to welcome the Iranian president in the near future.
It is worth mentioning that regional and international issues, such as Sudan and Afghanistan, were also discussed during the meeting.
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