DIPLOMATIC COUP
Saudi-Iranian agreement to restore ties benefits regional security, shows China's goodwill to promote global security(Xinhua) 08:20, March 14, 2023
CAIRO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- After years of open hostility, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed last week to restore diplomatic ties after talks facilitated by China, a significant development for the two nations and a boon to the security and stability of the Middle East.
In a joint statement released with China on Friday, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions within two months, hold talks between their foreign ministers on the arrangement of ambassadors' exchange, and explore ways to improve bilateral ties.
The Saudi-Iranian agreement to restore diplomatic relation was hailed by Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, as "a victory for dialogue and peace" and has been widely welcomed worldwide.
The European Union (EU) on Saturday joined countries including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iraq, Cuba and Pakistan to welcome the agreement, saying in a statement posted on its website that it "acknowledges the diplomatic efforts leading to this important step."
The United Nations (UN) has also praised China's role in the process.
"The secretary-general has expressed his appreciation to the People's Republic of China for hosting these recent talks and for promoting dialogue between the two countries," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said after the agreement was reached.
DEAL GOES BEYOND SECURITY SPHERE
Saudi Arabia and Iran have been at odds over a range of issues for years and have backed opposing sides in conflicts in countries like Yemen and Syria.
In early 2016, Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in response to attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed a Shiite cleric.
Before they clinched the deal in Beijing, the two countries had held five rounds of talks in Iraq to improve bilateral relations since 2021.
"The Saudi-Iranian agreement achieved with Chinese mediation is a significant development in regional geopolitics," wrote Faisal J. Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, in an article published on the website of the Saudi-based English language daily newspaper on Saturday, adding that it "could be a true game-changer, heralding an era of regional peace and prosperity not seen in decades."
As Iran and Saudi Arabia are two powerful nations in the Middle East and the Muslim world, a peaceful and friendly relationship could bring more peace and stability to the region and the world, said Mohammad Reza Manafi, editor-in-chief for the Asia-Pacific news desk of Iran's official news agency IRNA.
"The move means a lot to both countries, as it will ease tensions between Shias and Sunnis," said Adnan Bourji, director of the Lebanese National Center for Studies.
The reconciliation between the two regional rivals could set an example for other countries to follow in solving conflicts through dialogue, Bourji said.
The ease of tensions will give Iran more room to handle repercussions of harsh sanctions imposed by the United States, while it will also calm the Saudi borders with Yemen, where Saudi-led coalition is engaged in a military conflict with Iran-backed Houthi militia, analysts say.
Khaled Hamade, a Lebanese military analyst and retired brigadier general, told Xinhua that the China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal includes points related directly to the Yemeni crisis, such as the respect of other countries' sovereignty, and non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs.
GOODWILL TO PROMOTE GLOBAL SECURITY
Wang Yi, who chaired both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Saudi-Iranian talks in Beijing, said the dialogue between the two countries in Beijing has "become a successful practice for the strong implementation of the Global Security Initiative (GSI)."
The initiative, which was proposed by China in 2022, seeks to address the complex and intertwined security challenges with a win-win mindset.
"We will continue to play a constructive role in properly handling hotspot issues in today's world in accordance with the wishes of all countries and demonstrate our responsibility as a major country," Wang said.
Analysts believe China's successful hosting of the talks, which led to the breakthrough, highlights Beijing's goodwill and endeavor to promote peace in the Middle East through political dialogue, as well as its efforts to advance the implementation of the GSI that seeks to eliminate the root causes of international conflicts and promote durable peace and development in the world.
China's successful mediation in the Saudi-Iranian deal proves that the world is open to an order characterized by multilateralism championed by China, instead of an order characterized by unilateralism the United States has enforced over the past decades, said Bourji.
The Saudi-Iranian deal's success has reflected the different approaches adopted by the United States and China in the Middle East, he added.
"China handles (its diplomatic relations) in a spirit of friendship, persuasion, and the realization of mutual interests, while the United States handles (its diplomatic relations) in a spirit of imposition, hegemony, and ensuring American and Israeli interests at the expense of Arab dignity and interests," he added.
The solutions proposed by China, which seek to solve international problems through mutual benefit, peaceful consultation, non-violent and non-military means, have gained more and more recognition around the world, said Dai Xiaoqi, professor at the School of Middle Eastern Studies of Beijing International Studies University.
China's "balanced relations" with both Saudi Arabia and Iran allowed it to accomplish the significant achievement, said Osama Danura, a political expert based in the Syrian capital Damascus.
(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Saudi Arabia and Iran ease Mideast rift that rattled oil
Bloomberg News | March 10, 2023 |
Saudi Arabia cut ties in 2016 after its Tehran embassy was mobbed. (Stock Image)
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties under a deal facilitated by China, easing a geopolitical rivalry in the Persian Gulf and highlighting Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
The countries have been reaching out to each other for at least the past two years, first secretly and gradually more publicly. It’s part of a broader regional realignment that’s seen several old foes reestablish or forge new ties as the US steps back from the Middle East, a key security concern for Riyadh.
The deal to restore relations, which includes commitments to reopen embassies within two months, was signed in China after days of negotiations between secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Saudi state-run media confirmed the agreement.
“Clearing up misunderstandings” and looking toward better relations “will certainly develop regional security and increase cooperation between Persian Gulf countries,” IRNA cited Shamkhani as saying.
Oil prices showed little immediate reaction to the agreement, though analysts said it could soften the geopolitical premium that has periodically hit the market as a result of tensions between the two adversaries, which back opposing sides in the war in Yemen.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying Friday that the US believed internal pressures within Iran and Saudi Arabia’s deterrence measures led to the negotiations – “not just an invitation by the Chinese to talk and to negotiate” Kirby said the US welcomed any development that could ease tensions.
“To the degree that this arrangement can lead to an end to the war in Yemen, to the degree that it can help prevent Saudi Arabia from having to defend itself against attacks, to the degree that could deescalate tensions – all that’s to the good side of the ledger,” Kirby told reporters.
In 2019, an assault claimed by Iran-backed Yemeni fighters on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq facility temporarily knocked out half the production capacity in the world’s biggest oil exporter, triggering a brief price spike. Brent futures were trading near $81 a barrel on Friday.
“This is a huge game changer and an acknowledgment that the policy of isolation and containment of Iran has not worked in Riyadh’s interest,” said Sanam Vakil, deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was set on fire in response to its execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
Now Riyadh has come around to the idea that direct diplomacy can help the kingdom manage its tensions with Iran, including on Yemen, as well as forestalling future attacks, Vakil said. Work still needs to be done to achieve this, and what was announced today is a roadmap, she added.
China’s role in brokering the agreement is significant, said Torbjorn Soltvedt, chief analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence group.
“It further strengthens Beijing’s influence in the Persian Gulf,” he said. “The centre of gravity of the region’s oil and gas exports has been shifting east for some time. This year, we have seen stronger signs that China is leveraging this to strengthen its commercial and diplomatic presence in the Middle East.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia had resumed talks in April 2022 to restore ties, in what Iranian state media said at the time was a “positive atmosphere.” Talks had stalled in December after Tehran accused Riyadh of using satellite TV channels to support protests that have rocked the Islamic Republic, the AP reported.
Saudi Arabia, which has battled Iranian-backed fighters in Yemen since 2015, is pushing for an end to a conflict that’s exposed its oil facilities to drone and missile attacks. Establishing formal relations with Iran could help ease that conflict and potentially allow Saudi Arabia to withdraw from the war if a peace deal materializes.
Saudi Arabia’s top priority is to “find a way to have a permanent ceasefire in Yemen,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said Thursday in Moscow.
(By Yasna Haghdoost, Patrick Sykes and Omar Tamo, with assistance from Sam Dagher, Grant Smith and Justin Sink)
Bloomberg News | March 10, 2023 |
Saudi Arabia cut ties in 2016 after its Tehran embassy was mobbed. (Stock Image)
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties under a deal facilitated by China, easing a geopolitical rivalry in the Persian Gulf and highlighting Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
The countries have been reaching out to each other for at least the past two years, first secretly and gradually more publicly. It’s part of a broader regional realignment that’s seen several old foes reestablish or forge new ties as the US steps back from the Middle East, a key security concern for Riyadh.
The deal to restore relations, which includes commitments to reopen embassies within two months, was signed in China after days of negotiations between secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Saudi state-run media confirmed the agreement.
“Clearing up misunderstandings” and looking toward better relations “will certainly develop regional security and increase cooperation between Persian Gulf countries,” IRNA cited Shamkhani as saying.
Oil prices showed little immediate reaction to the agreement, though analysts said it could soften the geopolitical premium that has periodically hit the market as a result of tensions between the two adversaries, which back opposing sides in the war in Yemen.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying Friday that the US believed internal pressures within Iran and Saudi Arabia’s deterrence measures led to the negotiations – “not just an invitation by the Chinese to talk and to negotiate” Kirby said the US welcomed any development that could ease tensions.
“To the degree that this arrangement can lead to an end to the war in Yemen, to the degree that it can help prevent Saudi Arabia from having to defend itself against attacks, to the degree that could deescalate tensions – all that’s to the good side of the ledger,” Kirby told reporters.
In 2019, an assault claimed by Iran-backed Yemeni fighters on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq facility temporarily knocked out half the production capacity in the world’s biggest oil exporter, triggering a brief price spike. Brent futures were trading near $81 a barrel on Friday.
“This is a huge game changer and an acknowledgment that the policy of isolation and containment of Iran has not worked in Riyadh’s interest,” said Sanam Vakil, deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was set on fire in response to its execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
Now Riyadh has come around to the idea that direct diplomacy can help the kingdom manage its tensions with Iran, including on Yemen, as well as forestalling future attacks, Vakil said. Work still needs to be done to achieve this, and what was announced today is a roadmap, she added.
China’s role in brokering the agreement is significant, said Torbjorn Soltvedt, chief analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence group.
“It further strengthens Beijing’s influence in the Persian Gulf,” he said. “The centre of gravity of the region’s oil and gas exports has been shifting east for some time. This year, we have seen stronger signs that China is leveraging this to strengthen its commercial and diplomatic presence in the Middle East.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia had resumed talks in April 2022 to restore ties, in what Iranian state media said at the time was a “positive atmosphere.” Talks had stalled in December after Tehran accused Riyadh of using satellite TV channels to support protests that have rocked the Islamic Republic, the AP reported.
Saudi Arabia, which has battled Iranian-backed fighters in Yemen since 2015, is pushing for an end to a conflict that’s exposed its oil facilities to drone and missile attacks. Establishing formal relations with Iran could help ease that conflict and potentially allow Saudi Arabia to withdraw from the war if a peace deal materializes.
Saudi Arabia’s top priority is to “find a way to have a permanent ceasefire in Yemen,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said Thursday in Moscow.
(By Yasna Haghdoost, Patrick Sykes and Omar Tamo, with assistance from Sam Dagher, Grant Smith and Justin Sink)
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