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Saudi agreement to reestablish ties with Iran stems from policy favoring dialogue: FM
Saudi Arabia’s agreement with Iran to re-establish diplomatic ties is based on the Kingdom’s policy of favoring political solutions and dialogue, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, said on Friday.
“Restoring diplomatic relations between the Kingdom and Iran also stems from [Saudi Arabia’s] keenness to favor political resolutions and dialogue [to resolve disputes] in the region,” Prince Faisal said in a tweet.
“The region’s countries share one destiny and [have a lot] in common, and this makes it necessary to work together to build a model of prosperity and stability,” he added.
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The decision to re-establish relations, which were severed in 2016, came following talks that took place from March 6 through March 10 in Beijing.
The announcement, which was made on Friday in a joint statement with China, has been welcomed across the globe as a victory for peace and dialogue.
During the last round of talks before signing the agreement, head of the Saudi delegation Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban said that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Xi’s initiative based on the Kingdom’s adherence to the principles of good neighborliness and to the principle of resorting to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts.
“King Salman and the Crown Prince thank President Xi Jinping for the kind initiative… [that aims] to develop good neighborly relations between the Kingdom and Iran,” al-Aiban added.
Arab and foreign leaders have welcomed the agreement which they hoped would help calm tensions in the region with many hailing China’s initiative to hold the talks which culminated in reaching the agreement.
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