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October 8, 2021Saudi Arabia Confirmed It Had Held Its First Round of Direct Talks With Iran’s New Government
Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al SAUD
Photo’s source: www. Twitter.com
On October 3, 2021, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-SAUD, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said that the fourth round of negotiations between the new government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia, took place on September 21. He did not give the location of the meeting. The date coincides with a speech by President RAISI at the UN General Assembly in New York.
“These discussions are still in the exploratory phase, and we hope that they lay the foundation to address issues between the two sides” he said during a joint news conference in Riyadh with the EU foreign policy chief, Josep BORRELL.
Iraqi sources said last month that officials from both countries had met recently in Baghdad. The discussions, hosted by Iraq as it seeks to act as a regional mediator, were launched under Iran’s former, moderate president Hassan ROUHANI, who was replaced in August 2021 by RAISI.
The talks have led to “serious progress” regarding Gulf security, Saeed KHATIBZADEH Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on September 23.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have backed opposing sides in regional conflicts and political disputes in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq for years, and Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition waging war against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen since 2015.
BORRELL said he addressed the Yemen situation during his visit to Riyadh, where he will also meet Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour HADI.
Saudi Arabia intervened in the Yemen war on behalf of the internationally recognized government in 2015, shortly after the Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa.
The fighters have repeatedly targeted the kingdom in cross-border attacks.
While the UN is pushing for an end to the war, the Houthis have demanded the reopening of Sanaa’s airport, closed under a Saudi blockade since 2016, before any ceasefire or negotiations.
This article was edited using the data from the, Reuters.com, Aljazeera.com, Iranintl.com and Dailytimes.com.pk
