The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged and appreciated Saudi Arabia’s positive move in restoring diplomatic relations on January 23, 2023. The Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the idea of strengthening and raising the level of relations with the countries in the region. They were also receptive to the extended hand of friendship and looked forward to working for an improvement of relations.
Earlier in January 2023, the Iranian Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Enayati, announced the signing of security agreements with the countries in the region, which included Saudi Arabia, indicating the hand of friendship from Tehran for dialogue. In December 2022, the Arabian Foreign Minister indicated the Kingdom’s willingness to continue dialogue with Iran.
Baghdad has been a mediator for direct negotiations between the two countries since April 2021, and in July 2022, a public meeting was hosted between the foreign ministers of both countries.
The ice breaker after seven years of soured relations was the conference in Jordan in December 2022, which was attended by Middle Eastern and European officials. The two foreign ministers from Iran and Arabia met at the conference, which was the highest level of encounter in the last seven years. The Iranian minister said the agreement was reached between the two nations due to the agreed points of view, which laid the foundation for Saudi-Iran dialogue that would eventually lead to normalisation of relations between the two.
The efforts by both countries for dialogue and improvement of relations are not only a relief for the nations but also the entire Middle Eastern region.
