Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi government for its endeavors to restore Tehran’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Baghdad on Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian thanked Hussein and the Iraqi government for their attempts to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as Iran and Egypt.
“Within the framework of boosting cooperation with Muslim countries and the region, we welcome the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Egypt,” he said. “We express gratitude to Fuad Hussein’s efforts in closing the gaps between the two sides.”
The top Iranian diplomat also said that he had discussed with his Iraqi counterpart the continuation of cooperation within the framework of mutual agreements and based on the 1975 Agreement, particularly the issues related to the dredging of Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Roud) and the determination and repositioning of the thalweg line with the aim of developing the river’s neighboring provinces.
Diplomatic relations between Iran and Egypt severed in 1980 following the North African country’s admission of the deposed Shah of Iran and its recognition of the Israeli regime.
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 kingdom then pursued a confrontational foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic, especially during the administration of former US President Donald Trump, with whom the Saudi rulers had close ties.
Iraq has hosted several rounds of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the past two years. The two countries’ ties were severed in 2016 after the kingdom executed top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, sparking an attack on its Tehran embassy by angry protesters.
The Iranian foreign minister’s trip comes weeks after his Saudi counterpart paid a visit to Iraq, where he discussed the resumption of Tehran-Riyadh talks aimed at restoring their bilateral ties under the auspices of the Iraqi government.
Earlier on Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the fact that Iraq has restored its “natural” role in the region.
