AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Reopening of Iran's representative office in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is considered as a positive step towards de-escalating Tehran-Riyadh tensions.
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has recently announced that three Iranian diplomats have been dispatched to Saudi capital of Jeddah - permanent headquarters of the OIC - to resume their works in the important Islamic organization after six years.
The activities of the Iranian representative office in Jeddah came to a halt in 2015 following incursions of some Iranian people into Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province.
Although, Tehran-Riyadh ties have usually affected Iran-OIC interactions, the organization is capable to pave the ground for resumption of relationship between the two neighboring countries.
The two sides had utilized the capacity of the organization, which was named the Organization of Islamic Conference, to improve bilateral ties. Iran hosted the eighth OIC summit in 1997, when Abdullah bin Abdulaziz the then crown prince of Saudi Arabia participated in the summit.
It is worth mentioning that upgrading Islamic convergence among member states is one of the seven objectives of establishment of the organization.
Now, the return of Iranian diplomats at Iran's representative office of the OIC occurred a few days after Tehran's envoy to Baghdad declared that Iranian and Saudi officials will hold the fifth round of negotiations in the Iraqi capital.
Therefore, it can be said that the decision to reopen the representative office is the first result of the fourth round of Iran-Saudi Arabia negotiations to resume diplomatic ties and de-escalate tensions.
Despite the fact that the two states have focused on reopening of Iran's representative office in Jeddah in this phase of negotiations, the Islamic Republic has time and again declared that it is ready to resume full relationship with the Saudi kingdom.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi underlined in his first press conference in summer 2021 that the Islamic Republic is prepared to reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia and that the move depends on the Saudis' decision for adopting a practical stance.
Iran has always emphasized on intra-regional coordination and collaboration to maintain security in the region.
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source : IRNA
Thursday
20 January 2022
8:38:53 AM
1220650
Reopening of Iran's representative office in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is considered as a positive step towards de-escalating Tehran-Riyadh tensions.