Since Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in Beijing on the 10th of this month that they agreed to restore diplomatic relations, a "wave of reconciliation" has been set off in the Middle East. As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, the Beijing dialogue has opened a new page in Syrian-Iranian relations and opened the way for peace and stability in the Middle East.
Just after Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed diplomatic relations, the Iranian president immediately received an invitation from the Saudi Shah to visit; Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited the UAE again after a year; In addition, Turkey and Egypt agreed to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries at ambassadorial level as soon as possible. Some media said that the situation in the Middle East has ushered in a long-lost "diplomatic spring". Why has there been "reconciliation diplomacy" in the Middle East recently? And what "peace dividends" have been brought? Is there more warming and easing in the future? Let's pay attention together.
The Saudi Shah invited to visit the Iranian President to welcome
Not long ago, under the mediation of China, Saudi Arabia and Iran, two Middle Eastern powers that had severed diplomatic relations for seven years, agreed to restore diplomatic relations.
On the 19th, Jamhidi, deputy director of political affairs in the Office of the President of Iran, said that Iranian President Raisi recently received a letter from King Salman of Saudi Arabia inviting him to visit Saudi Arabia. In his letter, Salman welcomed the agreement of "two fraternal countries" to resume diplomatic relations, invited Leahi to visit Riyadh and called on the two countries to strengthen economic and regional cooperation, Jamshidi said. Raisi welcomed the invitation and stressed that Iran is ready to expand relations with Saudi Arabia.
Iran is ready to reopen embassies with Saudi Arabia
The "Beijing reconciliation" between Saudi Arabia and Iran is by no means just lip service. Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said at a press conference on the 19th local time that Iran is ready to reopen embassies with Saudi Arabia. The two countries have agreed to hold foreign minister-level talks, and Iran has proposed three alternative venues for talks to Saudi Arabia.
Amir Abdollahian said Iran also wants to take steps to normalize relations with Saudi neighbor Bahrain. According to reports, several Gulf countries, including Bahrain, have welcomed the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the restoration of diplomatic relations.
Saudi Finance Minister will invest in Iran "soon"
The warming of relations is also reflected in economic cooperation. Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Jadan recently told a financial forum in the capital Riyadh that Saudi Arabia would invest in Iran "soon." In his view, Saudi Arabia has many investment opportunities in Iran, and as long as both sides abide by the agreement, "there are no obstacles."
According to the US Consumer News and Business Channel, due to the US recovery and strengthening of sanctions, maximum pressure and other factors, Iran's economic situation in recent years is not good, investment from Saudi Arabia will be a major benefit.
China has pushed for a warming of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran
The visit of the head of state, the reopening of embassies, the exchange of diplomatic missions, and the implementation of the security and economic cooperation agreement signed more than 20 years ago also show that with the active mediation of China, the two countries are resuming diplomatic relations along the established line. What kind of diplomatic ecology does China's participation in promoting peace bring to the Middle East?
Li Chao: In the past few days, the two countries are restoring relations along the established line. Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian said on the 19th that he will hold an official meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal "in the near future", and he confirmed that the technical teams of the embassies and consulates of the two sides will exchange visits to begin preparations for the reopening of the embassy. On the same day, Jamhidi, deputy director of political affairs in the Iranian president's office, revealed to the outside world that Salman welcomed the agreement of "two fraternal countries" to restore diplomatic relations, invited Raisi to visit Riyadh, and called on the two countries to strengthen economic and regional cooperation.
Li Chao: In response to the new trend of Middle East diplomacy, Saudi Arabia's largest Arabic-language newspaper "Riyadh Daily" published an editorial saying that the signing of the Shay-Iraq agreement "responded to the call of the Chinese president" and opened a new era in Saudi Arabia-Iran relations. An article published by Arab News pointed out that Iran has long wanted to get rid of its political and economic isolation, but negotiations to restore relations with important countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia have been slow. It was not until China's participation in the negotiations that the trilateral joint statement that shocked the world was born, China maintained good relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran, and China's participation narrowed the differences between the two countries and made reconciliation possible.
Li Chao: It is worth noting that while Saudi Arabia-Iran relations are warming up, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Shamkhani also visited the United Arab Emirates on the 16th, and the two sides discussed providing security guarantees and strengthening economic cooperation. At the same time, Iran is also exploring the restoration of bilateral relations with Bahrain, and some media predict that the two countries will soon announce relevant positive results. It can be said that the recent intensive diplomatic activities of Middle Eastern countries, driven by China's mediation, have the potential to reshape the Middle East region that has been volatile for decades and greatly change the security ecology of the entire region.
Relations between Syria and the UAE have warmed
Other Middle Eastern countries with warming diplomatic relations include Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Abu Dhabi on the 19th to hold "constructive" talks with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to multiple media reports, this shows that relations between Syria and other Arab countries continue to warm, and this time it is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's second visit to the United Arab Emirates after a year.
Li Shuangxi: Recently, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his wife Asma and a delegation composed of senior Syrian government officials visited the United Arab Emirates. Compared with last March, Bashar's visit was more solemnly welcomed. According to UAE media reports, the UAE military sent fighter jets to escort Bashar's special plane. UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally picked up at the airport. When Bashar's motorcade arrived at the palace, a salute was fired.
Li Shuangxi: The UAE state news agency wrote in the report that the leaders of the two countries discussed fraternal relations and ways to strengthen cooperation and constructive joint work, which will help realize the common interests of the two countries. According to several media reports, this shows that relations between Syria and the United Arab Emirates have warmed. The warming of relations between the United Arab Emirates and other countries with Syria has caused dissatisfaction on the US side. However, some international media quoted analysts as saying that due to the US government's failure to strongly support the above-mentioned allies to solve security concerns and other reasons, some Gulf countries began to worry that the United States was "unreliable."
Li Shuangxi: Not only the United Arab Emirates, but also many Middle East countries and Syria have warmed up. Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, the United States and its Western allies have supported Syrian opposition forces and imposed sanctions on Syria, the League of Arab States suspended Syria's membership, and many Arab countries closed their embassies in Syria. In recent years, Arab countries have increasingly called for normalization of relations with Syria, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and other countries sending ambassadors to Syria, and Algeria, Lebanon and other countries calling on the Arab League to restore Syria's membership. More and more Arab countries are gradually restoring normal relations with Syria through various means.
After more than 10 years, the Turkish Foreign Minister visited Egypt for the first time
"Reconciliation diplomacy" in the Middle East is still being intensively staged. On the 18th local time, the Turkish Foreign Minister visited Egypt for the first time in more than ten years, taking a step to thaw bilateral relations. On the 20th local time, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said that Turkey has begun to start the appointment process of ambassadors to Egypt. Cavusoglu said that during his visit to Egypt on the 18th, he held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shukeli. The two sides agreed to resume diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level as soon as possible, and the two foreign ministries are working closely to arrange a meeting between the leaders of the two sides. After the ouster of former Egyptian President Morsi in 2013, Egypt's relations with Turkey deteriorated, and the two countries subsequently downgraded their diplomatic relations. In 2021, Turkey and Egypt began high-level diplomat consultations, especially in recent months, as relations between the two countries showed a warming trend and increased interaction between the two sides.
Source: CCTV News Client