Today, Wednesday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said in the Iranian capital, Tehran, that he hopes the dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran will move to the stage of diplomatic and public dialogue sessions, while Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Abdullahian said, in a joint conference with his Iraqi counterpart, that there is an intention to His country and Saudi Arabia to resume dialogue sessions.
The Iraqi foreign minister stated that the security of Iraq is linked to the security of the region, wishing that the dialogue between Riyadh and Tehran would move to the stage of diplomatic and public dialogue, explaining that the dialogue between the two parties is still within the framework of the security services so far, without setting a new date for these negotiations.
Last year, Saudi Arabia and Iran began dialogue in Baghdad, with the aim of improving relations;
So far, the two countries have held 4 sessions between April and September 2021, and Tehran said that holding a fifth round is subject to Riyadh's "seriousness".
Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh have been suspended since the beginning of 2016, after Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran after its embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were attacked by protesters following the execution of the Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
🎥 Reception of "Amir Abdollahian" as an Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq
Security advisors from Iraq and Barkhi are two security officials, # Fawad_Hussein ra dar in safar hamrahi may kanand pic.twitter.com/fxuP2aFqNc
— Khabargazari Tasnim 🇮🇷 (@Tasnimnews_Fa) April 13, 2022
Iranian statements
The Iranian Foreign Minister said - in the joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart - that there is an intention on the part of the Saudi and Iranian sides to resume dialogue between them, and that the declaration of a ceasefire in Yemen could affect the negotiations between the Saudi and Iranian sides.
The Iranian minister stressed the importance of holding a regional dialogue between the countries of the region, and "in the presence of the people of the region," praising the "important" role played by Baghdad to resume the Iranian-Iraqi talks.
On the other hand, the Iranian minister said that his country welcomes the ceasefire in Yemen, and stresses the need to lift the siege on Yemenis and launch a dialogue between the Yemeni parties, away from foreign interference.
Abdullahian stated that his country had reached an agreement with a foreign bank to release part of the frozen Iranian funds, explaining that a foreign delegation was in Iran and held meetings with bank officials to follow up on the implementation stages of the agreement.