Alwaght- Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers are set to meet in Beijing on Thursday, as the two West Asian States work to hash out next steps of their diplomatic rapprochement amid a China-brokered deal.
The meeting between Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, will be the first formal meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran’s most senior diplomats in more than seven years.
Iran and Saudi Arabia last month agreed to re-establish relations after even years.Tehran and Riyadh agreed to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies within two months, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China, which brokered the deal.
Choosing China “came as an extension of Beijing’s positive role in reaching the agreement and facilitating communication between the two countries,” Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awasat newspaper cited an unidentified source in Riyadh as saying.
Beijing’s secret role in the breakthrough between Tehran and Riyadh shook up dynamics in the West Asia, where the United States was for decades the main mediator, flexing its security and diplomatic muscles.
“The era of the United States’ involvement in this region is over the regional countries are capable of preserving security and stability in the West Asia without Washington’s interference,” an Iranian official said.
“The next steps will be discussed in the Beijing meeting, such as re-opening of the embassies and appointing ambassadors.”
