Iran, Saudi Arabia Restore Diplomatic Relations

 (Photo by Reuters)

Source: Press TV

Iran and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement in the Chinese capital of Beijing to restore their diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions, seven years after their ties were broken off over several issues.

The agreement was struck on Friday after several days of intensive negotiations between Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart in Beijing. It was officially announced in a joint statement by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China.

The statement was inked by Shakhani, Musaid Al Aiban, Saudi Arabia’s national security adviser, and Wang Yi, the director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party.

Shamkhani has been involved in intensive talks with his Saudi counterpart in Beijing since Monday to find a final solution to the issues between Tehran and Riyadh. The negotiations followed a meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last month.

“As a result of the talks, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months,” the joint statement said.

It added that the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers will meet to “implement this decision and make the necessary arrangements for the exchange of ambassadors.”

According to the statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia highlighted the need to respect each others’ national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another. They agreed to implement a security cooperation agreement signed in April 2001 and another accord reached in May 1998 to boost economic, commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports and youth affairs cooperation.

Iran, Saudi Arabia and China expressed their firm determination to make their utmost efforts to promote regional and international peace and security, it emphasized.

The statement further explained that delegations from Iran and Saudi Arabia, led by Shamkhani and Aiban, held several meetings over the past five days following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s support for the expansion of ties between Tehran and Riyadh based on the principle of good neighborliness and his efforts to host meetings between Iranian and Saudi senior officials.

The talks between Shamkhani and Aiban were also held as a result of the keenness of Tehran and Riyadh to resolve differences through dialogue and diplomacy based on fraternal ties and both sides’ adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Charter and international rules and principles, it added.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its embassy in Tehran.

The two sides had held five rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since April 2021.

In their joint statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia also thanked Iraq and Oman for hosting the talks between the two sides in 2021 and 2022 as well as the leaders and government of the People’s Republic of China for hosting and supporting the talks held in that country.

In phone call, Shamkhani thanks Iraq for hosting talks

Prior to the official announcement about the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Shamkhani held a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

The Iranian top security official hailed great efforts by Iraq to host five rounds of talks between Tehran and Riyadh.

He also commended Baghdad’s “very valuable” bids to prepare the ground for the new agreement between Tehran and Riyadh.

Speaking after signing the agreement, Shamkhani said the negotiations between the two countries were “frank, transparent, comprehensive.”

“Clearing up the misunderstandings and looking to the future in Tehran-Riyadh relations will definitely lead to the development of regional stability and security and the increase of cooperation between the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Islamic world to manage the existing challenges,” he said.

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Colombia and Venezuela restore ties

Chavez and Santos agreed to restore diplomatic ties
between their two countries [AFP]


Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/08/201081023312716697.html


The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela have agreed to restore diplomatic ties after a dispute over allegations that Caracas shelters Colombian leftist rebels.

Presidents Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Hugo Chaves of Venezuela agreed to "relaunch bilateral relations and re-establish diplomatic ties between the two countries based on transparent and direct dialogue," a joint statement issued after Tuesday's meeting said.

The two leaders expressed optimism that their first meeting would produce positive results.

Santos said he also received assurances from Chavez that the Venezuelan leader would not allow guerrilla groups to set up camp inside his borders.

Chavez severed diplomatic relations with Colombia on July 22 after the government of Alvaro Uribe, Santos' predecessor, publicly presented photos, videos and maps of what it said were camps inside Venezuela that belonged to the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (Farc) rebel group.

Chavez accused Uribe of lying and trying to stir up a conflict in his final days in office.

Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo, reporting from Santa Marta said that the topic Venezuelan support for the Farc was not discussed.

"It is a very sensitive topic at this point in time, and this meeting was mainly a common pledge to restore diplomatic relation between the countries."

Trade between the neighbouring countries had already fallen dramatically in the past year as relations deteriorated.

Tense relations

Relations between Colombia and Venezuela already suffered in July 2009, when Chavez froze ties after Bogota agreed to give the United States access to seven military bases to fight cocaine production and trafficking.

Colombian foreign minister Maria Angela Holguin said the leaders were likely to discuss the bases, but that the sensitive issue of the alleged presence of the Farc leadership on Venezuelan soil was unlikely to arise yet.

More immediate concerns of the return of ambassadors and the reopening pf borders to bilateral trade were expected to be the main focus.

Trade between the South American neighbours - $6bn in 2008 - fell precipitously during the dispute, hurting economies on both sides of their 2,000km border.