Iran-Saudi Talks Serve Regional Security – Iraq’s FM

By Staff, Agencies

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, whose country has hosted several rounds of rapprochement talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, highlighted the positive impact of negotiations between Tehran and Riyadh on regional stability and security.

In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Thursday, Hussein stressed the need for Iran and Saudi Arabia to proceed with the negotiations, which he said have positive effects on stronger stability and security across the region.

The two senior diplomats further talked about the relations between Tehran and Baghdad, the latest regional developments, and the Vienna talks aimed at reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA].

On the situation in Yemen, Amir Abdollahian and Hussein called for stepped up efforts to end the war that has upset security and stability in the entire region.

They also emphasized the necessity of consultations and coordination between Iran and Iraq to fulfill the interests of the two neighboring states and all other regional nations.

Representatives of Iran and Saudi Arabia have held several rounds of talks in Baghdad in recent months.

Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh soured following the January 2016 execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran afterwards, responding to attacks by angry protesters on its embassy in the Iranian capital.

Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen as well as the death of hundreds of Iranian Hajj pilgrims in a deadly crush in Saudi Arabia’s Mina in September 2015 had prepared the ground for the deterioration of tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.