Chinese President Xi-Jinping. SPUTNIK / REUTERS
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday hailed the recent warming of Iran-Saudi Arabia ties, facilitated by Beijing, in a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to state media.
After seven years of rupture, Ryad and Tehran announced at the beginning of the month the restoration of their diplomatic relations following talks in China.
Reopening of embassies
The agreement between the two rival powers, perceived as a diplomatic victory for Beijing in the Middle East, provides for the mutual reopening of embassies within two months.
The resumption of Iran-Saudi Arabia dialogue in China resulted in a “major resultXi Jinping told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, according to remarks reported by Chinese state television CCTV. “The momentum of detente between the countries of the region has recently intensified considerably“, he continued. “This fully demonstrates that the resolution of conflicts and differences through dialogue is […] in the interests of all countrieshe told Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader.
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Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers said on Monday they plan to meet before the end of Ramadan, which ends in the third week of April. “China is willing to continue supporting the dialogue follow-up processbetween the two countries, added Xi Jinping. Mohammed bin Salman, for his part,expressed the Kingdom’s appreciation for the Chinese initiative to support efforts to develop neighborly relationswith Iran, according to the Saudi press agency SPA.
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This diplomatic warming between the two rival powers could have wider spillovers in the Middle East, where Iran and Saudi Arabia politically and militarily support different parties in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Saudi Arabia announced talks with Syria last week to resume consular services, more than a decade after severing ties with the country. In 2012, at the start of the civil war, the Saudi kingdom cut ties with Syria and supported rebels, while Iran continues to provide aid to maintain power in Damascus.
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