NOURNEWS- On the 10th of March 2023, "NourNews" published a tweet that quickly became the headlines of the media outlets of the world. It was announced in this tweet: "The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, has been engaged in a very important negotiations in a foreign country for the past few days. The imminent announcement of the results of the said negotiations will bring significant changes."
In the time span between the publication of the above-mentioned tweet and the public announcement of the signing of the tripartite agreement between Iran, Saudi Arabia and China, in Beijing, which was published just a few hours after the said tweet which led to the surprise of the political and media circles of the world, almost no one thought that the important news that "Nournews" reported in its tweet was related to the announcement of an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to normalize their bilateral relations.
After the signing of the agreement on the normalization of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, the then secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, in a short but expressive statement, mentioned that the talks between the two countries were frank, transparent, comprehensive and constructive and said: "Resolving misunderstandings and looking forward to the future regarding the Tehran-Riyadh relations, will definitely lead to the development of regional stability and security and the increase of cooperation between the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Islamic world for managing the existing challenges."
Six months have passed since the signing of the agreement on the normalization of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, on last week’s Thursday, in an important trip and at the official invitation of Faisal bin Farhan, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, entered Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Iran’s FM met and talked with his Saudi counterpart for the fourth time in recent months.
It was announced in the joint press conference of the two foreign ministers in Riyadh, that the official activities of the political representatives of the two countries will begin with the establishment of new ambassadors in the next few days, and due to the acceptance of the invitation of the Sultan of Saudi Arabia by the president of Iran to visit Saudi Arabia, the plans for the upcoming trip of Ayatollah Raisi to the Saudi Arabia are on the agenda of this country.
Without any doubt, above Amir-Abdollahian’s plans for the first day of his trip to Saudi Arabia, his unannounced meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Prime minister and the most powerful executive official of Saudi Arabia, on Friday, in Jeddah, is the most important aspect of Iran’s FM trip to Saudi Arabia.
At the end of Amir-Abdollahian’s 90-minute meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the foreign minister of Iran described this meeting as "frank, honest, beneficial and fruitful" and, he considered the process of normalization of Tehran-Riyadh relations as a result of the serious will and determination of the heads of the two countries.
Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, also called Saudi Arabia's point of view regarding its relations with Iran strategic-oriented, and emphasized on Riyadh's determination for developing an all-round relation with Tehran.
Since March of last year and the announcement of Tehran and Riyadh regarding their intention for moving toward the normalization of their relations after 7 years of darkness governing their bilateral relations, many political analysts, preferred to evaluate this decision with having their pessimistic glasses on, and consider it an unstable agreement.
However, the evaluation of the actions of the two countries regarding the implementation of the said agreement on the normalization of relations of Iran and Saudi Arabia, shows the fact that Tehran and Riyadh, with a having a strategic understanding of the necessity of reducing tension and developing stability and security in the region, are very serious in pursuing the started process.
The continuation of productive visits and meetings between the political, security and defense officials of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the last six months and their joint effort for reducing the destructive effects of negative factors affecting the relations of the two countries are among the important signs showcasing the stable will and determination of Tehran and Riyadh for moving towards new horizons.
Without any doubt, Iran’s foreign minister’s last week’s trip to Riyadh, and his conversation with high-ranking officials of Saudi Arabia, is an important turning point in the new chapter of relations of Tehran and Riyadh, and we can expect that in the upcoming months, especially with Ayatollah Raisi's visit to Saudi Arabia and with the start of economic, technology, commercial and technical relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, more tangible results will be achieved regarding the 13th government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strategy for pursuing relations with Iran’s neighboring countries.
BY: Mohammad Ghaderi
NOURNEWS