Iran, Saudi Arabia foreign ministers hold ‘friendly conversation’

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran’s foreign minister says he had a “friendly conversation” with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of the Baghdad summit in Amman, in the first high-level contact between the two sides since 2016.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed his country’s willingness to continue tension-easing talks with the Islamic Republic.

“My Saudi counterpart assured me of his country’s willingness to continue the dialogue with Iran,” the top diplomat said.

The two Persian Gulf neighbors severed their diplomatic ties after the Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran was attacked by a mob in January 2016 over the execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia.

Since April last year, the two countries have been holding talks to restore diplomatic relations, brokered by Baghdad. Both Tehran and Baghdad have noted progress but the breakthrough has been eluding.

Late last month, Iraq’s foreign ministry said the talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia had made progress and were set to move from security to the diplomatic phase. It added that Baghdad was trying to bring the positions of the two sides closer.

Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani at his first press conference on Nov. 2 also said he hoped to continue hosting talks between the two neighbors.

Amir-Abdollahian also sat down with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna on the sidelines of the summit.

In a tweet, the top diplomat said he “considered France’s interference in our internal affairs unacceptable” and called for “reconsideration of France’s positions” while agreeing that “the path of dialogue and diplomacy is preferable”.