Iranian MP: Tehran-Riyadh ties fast-thawing
By Sadeq Dehqan
Staff writer
The vice chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission says: The ice between Iran and Saudi Arabia started melting at a rapid pace. The bilateral ties are on the right track, Abbas Moqtadaei said in an interview with Iran Daily, adding that they will benefit all Muslim countries and establish peace and security in the region.
Moqtadaei maintained that in the current situation, it is imperative that Islamic nations, especially influential states, become more aware of their missions regarding the issues of the Islamic world and play their role well.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations last month in a deal brokered by China, which ended seven years of estrangement and jolted the geopolitics of the oil-rich region.
Describing Iran and Saudi Arabia as two influential countries in the Islamic world, he said: Iran, for its part, has shown selflessness by trying to spread empathy and synergy between Islamic and neighboring countries.
It is also ready to cooperate with Islamic states. In fact, the Islamic Republic’s insistence on creating harmony between the influential Muslim countries has been the basis for re-establishing Tehran-Riyadh ties.
“This direction that Tehran is taking marks the new chapter of Iran-Saudi relations, and we are trying to strengthen the unity of the Muslim world,” Moqtadaei said.
The high-ranking member of Iran’s parliament pointed out that during the negotiations with the Saudis, Iran tried to make the highest level of bilateral cooperation possible.
“The Muslim world expects Iran to support them with its policies,” he stated.
After holding several rounds of negotiations in Baghdad and China, Moqtadaei noted, reopening embassies in Tehran and Riyadh is now being pursued.
The MP said that such cooperation can provide suitable platforms in various national, regional, and international arenas for both sides as well as other countries in the region.
“Meanwhile, we have invited high-ranking Saudi officials to visit Tehran, and they have made a similar invitation to our officials,” he continued, concluding that the relationship between the two countries is considered to be growing and positive.
Moqtadaei sees the multilateral capabilities and capacities of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a strong motivation for countries to expand their relations with Iran, adding that “now, all countries including regional and Western states acknowledge that Iran is an important and influential country for regional and global relations”.
Accordingly, he stated, countries that seek to influence international equations in order to advance their goals cannot ignore the key role of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“As such, the factors that helped the negotiations between the two countries take place include the necessity that the Saudis see in tackling the many challenges that Saudi Arabia is facing in the international and regional arenas as well as the role that Iran can play in this regard,” the official said.
Moqtadaei added that the policy of developing neighborly relations, which was adopted by the Iranian government and parliament, has also been effective in opening a new chapter in Iran-Saudi relations.
“At present, all of these factors have contributed to the increasing unity that we are seeing among the Muslim countries in the region,” he concluded.