Saudi FM agrees with Iranian counterpart to hold a bilateral meeting ‘soon’

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian and the two agreed to hold a bilateral meeting “soon”, the Saudi ministry said.

It added: “The two ministers agreed to hold a bilateral meeting soon, in order to pave the way for the reopening of embassies and consulates between the two countries.”

“At the beginning of the call, the two exchanged greetings and congratulations on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan,” the ministry statement read.

This followed the March 10 signing of the landmark agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, brokered by China, to re-establish diplomatic ties and reopen embassies after seven years of heightened tensions.

Prince Faisal had said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper on March 12 he was looking forward to meeting his Iranian counterpart soon as per the agreement. “We are preparing to resume diplomatic relations between our countries within the next two months, and it’s natural that we exchange visits in the future,” he said.