Saudi FM's Iran visit major step in bilateral ties, regional cooperation, say experts

TEHRAN, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi Arabian foreign minister's visit to Iran marks a major step towards normalization of ties and signals greater regional cooperation, said analysts.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud arrived in Tehran on Saturday, the first trip by a Saudi official to Tehran in more than seven years.

At a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Saudi minister described their normalization of ties as "important" as the two states are "significant" players in the region.

The Saudi minister also extended the Saudi king's invitation -- a visit to the Saudi capital Riyadh -- to the Iranian president.

Lebanese international relations expert Wissam Ismail told Iran's Al-Alam News Network on Sunday that the Saudi minister's Iran visit marks the beginning of a "totally different stage" in bilateral diplomatic relations.

He noted that the trip, which comes a few days after the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Saudi capital, indicates a change in Saudi Arabia's strategy, which is to continue promoting regional cooperation to boost regional stability and thwart Washington's plots.

Ismail said that the United States has always described Iran as a threat to regional security and stability and pressured regional states to confront Tehran.

Iranian international affairs expert Mehdi Azizi told Al-Alam on Sunday that the Tehran-Riyadh detente and the Saudi minister's visit will have positive impacts on the resolution of regional issues, such as the maritime security in the regional waters and the Palestinian issue, as talked about by the two countries' top diplomats during the meeting.

Mojtaba Ferdowsipour, an expert with the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Institute for Political and International Studies, described the Saudi minister's visit as a "step forward" in bilateral relations.

He said in a Sunday interview with Iran's state Radio Goftogoo that the two countries should gradually strengthen bilateral cooperation in the economic, political, security, social and cultural fields.

Ferdowsipour said the visit is an indication of Riyadh's willingness to strengthen all-out ties with Tehran and expand bilateral cooperation with regard to regional issues.

Regional affairs expert Sabah Zanganeh told the Iranian Students' News Agency on Sunday that the visit is a "positive and important" step toward the resumption of the bilateral ties and can help ensure the implementation of the two countries' agreement in this regard.

He added the trip proves Saudi Arabia's political determination to interact with Iran and its commitment to the Beijing-brokered agreement.

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a groundbreaking agreement in Beijing to resume diplomatic relations and re-open their embassies and missions.