Saudi-Iran flights to resume after foreign ministers meet
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian agreed to the resumption of flights between their countries when they met in Beijing.
It marked a major step after an agreement last month to restore diplomatic ties.
The countries will “facilitate” the issuing of visas for each other’s citizens and private and state visits will resume, Saudi Arabia and Iran said in a joint statement after Thursday’s meeting.
The process of reopening embassies and consulates will begin. This will take up to two months, said the statement issued after the signing of a joint communique.
Prince Faisal renewed his invitation for Mr Amirabdollahian to visit the kingdom.
The Iranian Foreign Minister in return extended an invitation to Prince Faisal to visit Tehran for talks, the statement said.
Saudi state television broadcast a brief video on Twitter of the meeting in Beijing, showing the leaders shaking hands and sitting side by side.
It was the first official meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran’s most senior Foreign Ministry officials since ties were severed seven years ago.
China last month brokered a meeting to reconcile relations between the sides and reopen embassies. It emphasises China’s increasing influence in the region, which is being monitored by the US.
The delegations met for “expanded” talks to discuss “important issues”, Saudi state media reported.
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The meeting between Mr Amirabdollahian and Prince Faisal came as Iran confirmed it accepted an invitation for President Ebrahim Raisi
to visit Riyadh. It was not announced when this would take place.
Following the announcement to restore relations, Riyadh and Tehran said they would also reinstate a security agreement signed about two decades ago.
The agreement stipulated co-operation on action to tackle issues including terrorism, drug smuggling and money laundering.
A trade and technology deal signed in 1998 is also to be revived. Experts have said the resumption of ties will reduce the risks of armed conflict between the former rivals, both directly and in proxy conflicts across the region.
In 2016, Riyadh severed ties with Tehran after protesters raided Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran following the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in the kingdom.
This was only one of several major issues between the countries.
But since April 2021, representantives of the two sides have held five rounds of negotiations in Baghdad and several meetings in Oman after Iranian officials said they “welcomed dialogue”.
During their visit to Beijing, Mr Amirabdollahian and Prince Faisal met China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang.
Experts believe the move will reduce the chance of armed conflict between the former rivals