Ranking diplomats from Iran, China and Saudi Arabia held a trilateral meeting in Beijing to discuss a range of regional and international issues.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Abdulkarim El Khereiji, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the meeting in Beijing.
In the gathering, Wang Yi hailed the holding of the first meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia and China in Beijing.
Voicing China’s support for closer cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh, Wang Yi said Beijing wants to help strengthen economic, security and cultural relations as well as popular exchanges between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
He also highlighted China’s support for the position of Muslim and Arab countries on the Palestinian issue and called for the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza and delivery of humanitarian aids into the enclave.
The Chinese foreign minister noted that the crisis in Palestine can only be resolved through respecting the will and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister, for his part, praised China’s mediating role in restoring diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and expressed Iran’s readiness to bolster cooperation among the three countries in various fields.
During his stay in Beijing, Baqeri has held separate meetings with his Chinese and Saudi counterparts to discuss the issues of mutual interest, including the necessity of ending the aggression against the oppressed people of Gaza.
After intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia clinched a deal on March 10 to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions after seven years of estrangement.
The two regional heavyweights have underscored the need to respect each other’s national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.
In June, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani unveiled plans for the formation a new naval coalition in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean by a number of regional countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Later, in August, defense ministry officials of the two states reached an agreement on exchanging military attachés.
