Saudi foreign minister meets Iranian counterpart, invites President Raisi to Jeddah during Tehran trip

Middle East, News June 19, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud traveled to Iran on his first official trip after the rapprochement deal brokered by China. Prince Faisal met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi during his trip to Tehran.

Upon his arrival in Tehran, Prince Faisal received a warm welcome from Amirabdollahian. The two foreign ministers hailed the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Jeddah and Tehran. The bilateral meeting between the two top diplomats was followed by a joint press conference.

Shortly after the two ministers arrived at the venue for the joint press conference, Prince Faisal realized that he was standing in front of a picture of IRGC General Qassem Soleimani, a controversial figure in the Middle Eastern security dynamics and the alleged architect of Houthi’s war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen. Prince Faisal requested the venue of the joint press conference to be changed, and the Iranian side complied with the request in a bid not to tarnish the newly revived relations between the two countries after years of tensions.

During the joint media talk, Prince Faisal said that “mutual respect, non-interference in the two countries’ internal affairs and commitment to the United Nations Charter” is at the essence of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s bilateral relations. “I would also like to highlight the two countries’ discussions on cooperation on ensuring maritime security and reducing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” he added.

^{Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Tehran, Iran, on June 17, 2023. (Image Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/via Reuters)}

Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian said that “The Islamic Republic of Iran has never equated security with militarism, and considers security to be a comprehensive concept, which includes political, economic, cultural, trade and social dimensions between all the countries of the region.”

Prince Faisal bin Farhan also held a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The Saudi foreign ministry said the discussions between Prince Faisal and President Raisi focused on reaffirming bilateral relations and exploring avenues to strengthen and expand cooperation between the two countries. Prince Faisal also extended a formal invitation from Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Raisi to visit Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal said the Saudi king and crown prince are looking forward to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi “accepting the invitation to visit the Kingdom soon, God willing”.

#BREAKING
🔴 #Saudi Foreign Minister Prince @FaisalbinFarhan meets Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran.

📍Saudi Arabia invites Iranian president to visit in latest sign of rapprochement. pic.twitter.com/GdpTh8Uorf
— Jamal Dobahi جمال الدوبحي (@dobahi) June 17, 2023

During his meeting with the Saudi diplomat, the Iranian President slammed Israel for its efforts to normalize relations with the Arab states. He said that “The Zionist regime is not only an enemy of the Palestinians; it is a threat to all Muslims. The normalization of relations with Israel not only fails to promote security but also goes against the opinions of the Islamic Ummah.”

China-brokered peace deal

The landmark political progress to establish diplomatic relations between the regional rivals was made in Beijing earlier this year. Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a deal to restore their ties after seven years of diplomatic rift. Earlier this month, Iran reopened its embassy in Riyadh as a result of the China-brokered deal.

China’s Wang Yi hosted a meeting between the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and Saudi Arabia’s National Security Advisor Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban on March 10, 2023. Successful trilateral talks resulted in Riyadh and Tehran agreeing to reestablish their diplomatic relations by reopening their embassies.