The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing for the first official meeting of the top diplomats of the two countries in seven years. During the meeting, they signed an agreement on the development of bilateral relations, CGTN and Al Jazeera reported.
"Saudi Arabia and Iran signed an agreement on the development of bilateral relations in Beijing on Thursday. Qin Gang, a member of the Chinese State Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs, witnessed the signing ceremony," the report said.
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian discussed steps to restore their embassies and consulates in the countries, and agreed to explore ways to expand cooperation, including the resumption of flights, reciprocal visits by official delegations and the private sector. simplification of the visa regime.
It said Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in March to restore ties and open diplomatic missions within two months of a years-long rift that has raised tensions in the Gulf region and deepened conflicts from Yemen to Syria.
Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital following the execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia. Since then, there has been a conflict between them.
The two countries have also backed opposing sides in the Yemeni civil war, which has been described by the UN as "one of the world's worst humanitarian crises".
Iran has appointed an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates almost eight years after the departure of his predecessor.
