Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country welcomes the reopening of the Iranian and Saudi Arabian Embassies in Riyadh and Tehran, reports Asian Lite Newsdes
Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi has met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran in an aim to push for resumption of the peace talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“We discussed the challenges that the region is facing,” Al-Kadhimi said during a joint press conference with Raisi, adding, “We agreed to work together to bring stability and peace to the region”.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country welcomes the reopening of the Iranian and Saudi Arabian Embassies in Riyadh and Tehran.
Iran only seeks to promote the region’s interests, Amir-Abdollahian said here in a meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
He praised the Iraqi government for its efforts to encourage dialogue among regional countries and play a constructive role in the normalization talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as other Middle Eastern nations, reports Xinhua news agency.
Iran maintains that the solution to regional problems lies within the region, Amir-Abdollahian said, adding that Iran backs the continuation of the ceasefire in Yemen, highlighting the necessity of lifting the siege on the Arab state.
The Foreign Minister noted that given the commonalities between Iran and Egypt, improving relations between Tehran and Cairo will be in the interest of the region and the Muslim world.
The Iraqi Prime Minister underlined Iran’s important position and role in regional developments, saying his country is serious about developing ties with Iran.
He assured his host that Iraq will continue its efforts to encourage dialogue and cooperation among regional states.
The Iraqi Prime Minister described his country’s relations with the Iran as very important and added, “Today we agreed to strengthen trade relations between the two nations and countries within the framework of common interests”.
Al-Kadhimi arrived in Tehran early Sunday for high-level talks with senior Iranian officials, following his trip to Saudi Arabia, where he was welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
Both crown prince and Iraqi PM held a session of official talks, during which they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two fraternal countries and areas of joint cooperation, in addition to exchanging views on a number of issues, which contribute to supporting and strengthening security and stability in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
ALSO READ:Iraq FM ready to host new round of Iranian-Saudi talks
On June 16, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that “Iraq is ready to continue facilitating direct talks between the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers in Baghdad to restore relations to normal”, according to a statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
To improve bilateral relations and ease regional tension, Baghdad hosted four rounds of direct talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year, and the fifth round was held in April this year.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in response to attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran after the kingdom executed a Shia cleric.
The two rivals’ strained relations showed signs of improvement after they resumed direct talks on normalizing diplomatic relations in April 2021.
Recently, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Cairo for his first visit to Egypt since the two countries restored diplomatic ties last year.
The two-day official visit included talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in all fields.
Tamim’s visit also saw the signing of a number of economic agreements, and ensured Qatari investment in Egypt, especially in the energy field.
