Saudi Arabia’s and Iran’s Foreign Ministers met in Beijing on Thursday to discuss key details in the resumption of their bilateral relations following a landmark agreement mediated by China last month.
In the highest-level meeting between the two sides in more than seven years, Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signed an agreement to reopen embassies and consulates in their mutual countries, according to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two sides – previously staunch adversaries who’d severed diplomatic relations in 2016 – also agreed to examine ways to expand their cooperation, including the resumption of flights, mutual trips from official delegations and the private sector, and facilitating visas, according to their statement, released by Iran.
“The two sides emphasized their readiness to eliminate all the obstacles facing the expansion of cooperation between the two countries,” the statement read.
Embassies would be opened in Riyadh and Tehran and consulates in Jeddah and Mashhad.
The meeting was the highest-level bilateral gathering of officials from Iran and Saudi Arabia in more than seven years and comes after the two sides agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties following talks in Beijing in March.
