ISLAMABAD: Iran and Saudi Arabia on Thursday signed an agreement for resuming diplomatic relations after the meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang witnessing the signing ceremony, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in Beijing.
Upon the proposal of Saudi Arabia and Iran, China today received Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, for a meeting in the Chinese capital here, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Moa Ning said during her regular briefing held here.
The spokesperson informed that the Chinese foreign minister met with his two counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the resumption of diplomatic ties and signed a joint statement. Both noted that they will continue to advance the process to improve bilateral relations in accordance with the roadmap and timeline identified in their Beijing talks in March and thanked China for its important role in facilitating the talks, she added.
Mao Ning said that China welcomes and applauds the continued steps Saudi Arabia and Iran have taken to improve their relations, adding, “We are ready to keep playing a mediating role, support both sides in building trust, dispelling misgivings and realizing good neighborliness, and contribute China’s wisdom and strength to promoting security, stability and development in the Middle East.”
She said that the further improvement of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran fully shows that regional countries have the will and ability to take the initiative of regional peace and development.
“The recent interactions in the Middle East also show that peace and development is what people aspire for and what the trend is leading to,” she added.
The spokesperson called upon the international community to help Middle East countries resolve differences and enhance solidarity. Acts to stoke tensions, create divisions, divide and rule and other colonial, hegemonic practices will be opposed by people all over the world.
She said that as a good friend and a good partner, China will as always respect Middle East countries, who are the true masters of their future.
“We are a force for reconciliation, peace and harmony in the Middle East. China will implement the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative with Middle East countries, promote security, stability, development, prosperity, inclusiveness and harmony in the Middle East,” she added.
Meanwhile, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times that in the long run, the three sides also need to talk about many other issues as there is still a long way to go for Saudi Arabia and Iran to establish mutual trust.
For example, the three sides could discuss whether it is necessary to set up a tripartite mechanism or even any bilateral mechanism between Saudi Arabia and Iran, between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran or between the Arab League and Iran as the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran involves many other issues in addition to their bilateral ties, such as issues related to Yemen and Syria.
The two countries alone would not be able to solve all the relevant problems, Liu said and noted that as the place where the Saudi-Iran agreement was reached, Beijing in the future would continue to play a vital role in helping to promote negotiations over the solutions to some long-standing issues between the two countries.
Experts noted that the success that China can promote reconciliation and easing the tensions in the Middle East is based on a solid foundation for China to win the trust of Middle Eastern countries accumulated from the long-term adherence to the five principles of peaceful coexistence, and their historical friendship with China.
Hua Chunying, China’s Assistant Foreign Minister, said at a forum held in Beijing on Tuesday that the agreement Saudi Arabia and Iran reached in Beijing is a victory for peace. It is not only a practice of the Global Security Initiative but a successful practice of the idea of the global community of a shared future.
