A week after China helped broker a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, their foreign ministers formally met in Beijing after seven years of estrangement.
#Beijing | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan meets with China’s Foreign Minister, H.E. Qin Gang, during His Highness’s official visit to the capital, Beijing. pic.twitter.com/mTNHgmgEA3
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) April 6, 2023
Saudi Arabia’s state-run broadcaster Al Ekhbariya released footage on Twitter on Thursday, showing Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan shaking hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian with flags of their respective countries seen behind.
Both foreign ministers then headed into a meeting hall where they sat down in wide armchairs and chatted.
#Beijing | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan met Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of #Iran H.E. @Amirabdolahian, during His Highness’s official visit to the People’s Republic of #China. pic.twitter.com/YTQ6HnqcRx
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) April 6, 2023
In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore relations and reopen diplomatic missions within at least two months after a years-long acrimony that raised tensions in the Gulf region and deepened conflicts from Yemen to Syria.
AFP said the two foreign ministers discussed steps towards reopening their embassies and consulates, citing Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency.
Earlier, China helped bring the two sides together and broker the landmark agreement.
