Iranian, Saudi FMs meet on bilateral ties

TEHRAN, June 3: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, have discussed issues pertaining to the resumption and development of bilateral ties.

The meeting was held Friday on the sidelines of the Friends of BRICS meeting in Cape Town in South Africa, said the Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

The Iranian foreign minister expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved toward the resumption of bilateral relations, adding that the two sides have introduced their ambassadors to each other and the ground has been prepared for the re-opening of embassies and consulates general in the two countries.

He thanked the Saudi side for making arrangements and providing facilities for Iran's Hajj pilgrims this year.

Recalling his previous talks with the Saudi foreign minister about improving bilateral trade and economic ties, Amir-Abdollahian said his Saudi counterpart's visit to Tehran in the near future will provide the two sides with an opportunity to exchange views on strengthening bilateral relations in different areas.

He described BRICS as a new opportunity for multilateral cooperation among Iran, Saudi Arabia and the group's member states in the areas of economy and trade.

The Saudi minister, for his part, also expressed satisfaction with the "very good" progress in the bilateral ties, saying he will soon travel to Tehran.

He thanked the Iranian side for the valuable assistance in welcoming the Saudi technical delegation to lay the groundwork for the opening of the Saudi embassy and the consulate in Iran.

He said that thanks to their "very good" cooperation, the two sides had swiftly passed through the stages of appointing ambassadors and preparing the ground for the re-opening of diplomatic missions, and are now moving toward a new stage in bilateral ties that will safeguard their interests and those of the entire region.

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached in Beijing a groundbreaking agreement to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and missions within two months.

On April 6, the two countries officially announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in response to attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed a Shiite cleric.