Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said today, Friday, that Tehran is happy to see the rapprochement between its ally Syria and Turkey, and he also said that there is an agreement with Saudi Arabia to continue dialogue, which leads to the implementation of relations.
"We are happy with the ongoing dialogue between Syria and Turkey, and we believe that it will reflect positively on the two countries," Amir Abdullahian said during a visit to the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Turkey is known to have supported the political and armed opposition to Damascus over the past decade.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on January 5 that he might meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of a new peace process, after the defense ministers of the two countries met in Moscow a few days earlier.
Erdogan said - during a speech in Ankara - that the next step is to hold a tripartite meeting that includes the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Syria, for the first time, in order to further enhance communication.
Normalization with Saudi Arabia
On the other hand, Abdullahian expressed his country's desire for normalization with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and said that there is an agreement with Saudi Arabia to continue the dialogue, which leads to the normalization of relations between them.
On December 26, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that Riyadh and Tehran agreed to continue talks between them, and they could hold a new round in Baghdad.
He continued, "Our policy is clear regarding dialogue with Saudi Arabia, and fortunately, Riyadh and Tehran agree to continue the dialogue, and in light of the current atmosphere, a new round can be held in Baghdad."
Abdullahian had met his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on the sidelines of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in the Dead Sea region in Jordan on December 20, and then said in a tweet on Twitter that the Saudi Foreign Minister assured him of Riyadh's readiness to continue dialogue with Iran.
It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia and Iran previously held 5 negotiating rounds mediated by Iraq.
Earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the two sides might hold a sixth round.