Iran says cooperation with Saudi Arabia can help restore regional peace
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi said that rebuilding and strengthening his country’s relations with Saudi Arabia “serve the security of the region.”
He added that the five rounds of dialogue between the two countries, mediated by Iraq, “were useful,” stressing that “with the completion of the implementation of previous agreements, the way will be paved for strengthening interaction.”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein affirmed “the continued role of his country’s government in the context of improving relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” and “made a detailed presentation in this regard,” according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Earlier last week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that Tehran-Riyadh relations “are based on bilateral issues that are not related to the Vienna negotiations,” noting that they take place at the bilateral level only, and believed that cooperation between the two sides “could help restore calm in the Middle East.
Kanaani added: “There are many issues of common interest at the bilateral and regional levels between Tehran and Riyadh,” noting that “there are differences in viewpoints,” but he indicated that the negotiations have been “positive” so far.
Five rounds of talks were held between Iranian and Saudi officials in recent months in Iraq, which shares a border with the two countries.
After the fifth round of negotiations, last April, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi expressed his conviction that “understanding is soon” between Riyadh and Tehran.
