Iran, Saudi Arabia Coordinate Plans for Regional Security

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud held a joint press conference after a meeting in Tehran on Saturday.

The top Iranian diplomat thanked the government of Saudi Arabia for paving the way for the reopening of Iran’s embassy in Riyadh and its consulate and representative office at the OIC in Jeddah under an agreement that the two states signed in Beijing on March 10 to restore diplomatic relations.

Expressing gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting the Iranian Hajj pilgrims, Amirabdollahian said arrangements have been made for the Saudi nationals to travel to Iran for pilgrimage and tourism as well.

Pointing to the talks about the importance of formation of an economic cooperation commission and committees tasked with handling issues pertaining to border affairs, fight against drug trafficking and environmental protection, Amirabdollahian said the agreements made in today’s negotiations will be carried out after ratification by the senior officials of the two countries.

“We focused on sustainable cooperation on economic, trade and investment affairs,” the Iranian minister noted, highlighting plans for the activities of the private sectors of the two nations.

Referring to the negotiations on regional security, Amirabdollahian emphasized that regional security requires cooperation among all regional countries and will affect a safe and developed future in the region.

Iran believes that security will be never equal to militarization, the foreign minister added, stressing that security is a comprehensive concept that entails economic and trade relations among the regional countries.

He also noted that talks have been held with his Saudi counterpart about Palestine, the war in Sudan, the issues of mutual interest in the international arena, and closer cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh at the regional and international organizations.

For his part, Foreign Minister bin Farhan said he has held positive and transparent negotiations with Amirabdollahian.

Highlighting the continued diplomatic measures in the both countries, he said Saudi Arabia will soon reopen its embassy in Tehran.

The normalization of ties is a basic issue for the two countries which are important actors in the region, the Saudi minister stated, stressing that the relations must be based upon mutual respect, non-interference in the internal affairs of each other, and commitment to the UN Charter.

Bin Farhan also expressed hope that the restoration of ties would positively affect the two countries, the region and the whole world.

He then pointed to the significance of cooperation between Riyadh and Tehran in ensuring regional security, the safety of navigation, the security of maritime corridors, and preventing the proliferation of arms.

The senior diplomat finally stated that he will be holding a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, as Saudi Arabia awaits a response from the Iranian president on the invitation for a visit to the kingdom.