Iran to send official delegation to Saudi Arabia this week

Iran’s foreign ministry said last week a delegation will visit Saudi Arabia by April 14 to pave the way for reopening its diplomatic missions there following a similar move by Riyadh.

The announcement comes a day after a Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran on a similar diplomatic trip and follows a historic meeting between the two Gulf countries’ foreign ministers in China.

“We are expecting a foreign ministry delegation to visit Saudi Arabia” by April 14, Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Enayati said in an interview with state television, Al Arabiya informs.

“Two separate delegations will go to Riyadh and Jeddah,” ahead of reopening Iran’s embassy and consulate respectively.

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in January 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked by protesters.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan met in the Chinese capital on Thursday after Tehran and Riyadh agreed last month to restore diplomatic ties.

In a joint statement, the ministers pledged to bring back security and stability to the turbulent Gulf.

The two countries had held several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before reaching the agreement in Beijing, negotiated over five days between Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and Saudi Minister of State and National Security Adviser Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban.