Iraqi Foreign Minister Fawad Hossein revealed on Saturday that the next meeting between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran will be held publicly in Baghdad at the level of foreign ministers.
In a statement reported by the Kurdish channel “Rodav”, Hossein said: “The crown prince of Saudi Arabia (Prince Mohammed bin Salman) asked us to host the meeting of the Saudi foreign minister with his Iranian counterpart in Baghdad.
Hossein added: We are setting a date for the public meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in Baghdad and he noted that the meetings, which were confidential and at the security level, will be made public with the mediation of Iraq.
Fawad Hossein’s statement comes a day after Hossein Amirabdollahian’s statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, in which he said that his country has been informed of Saudi Arabia’s agreement to transfer dialogue with the aim of restoring relations that were severed years ago from the security level to the political level. one
In an interview with official TV, he said that Tehran received a message from Iraqi Foreign Minister Fawad Hossein last week and said: “The Saudi side is ready to move the negotiations to the political and public level, and we have declared our readiness to enter these negotiations.” He enters the political scene.”
Talks between the two countries began in April 2021, facilitated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, who has good relations with both sides.
Al-Kadhimi visited Riyadh and Tehran in June as part of efforts to facilitate dialogue and stressed the importance of “stabilizing the region.”
The Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia are the two leading regional powers in the Persian Gulf and are on opposite sides of each other on most regional issues, particularly the conflict in Yemen, where Riyadh is recognized as leading a military coalition backed by the international government. It accuses Tehran of supporting the Houthi rebels who control large areas in the north of the country, especially Sana’a.
Saudi Arabia is also concerned about Iran’s regional influence, accusing it of “meddling” in Arab countries such as Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, and is concerned about its nuclear program and missile capabilities.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in January 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were attacked by protesters over Riyadh’s execution of Nimr al-Nimr, an anti-Saudi Shia cleric.
Source: Lebanon Debate
