Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in the city of Jeddah, calling for the enhancement of Tehran-Riyadh ties in diplomacy and economy.
The two top diplomats’ meeting took place on Tuesday ahead of an emergency gathering of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s foreign ministers discussing Israel’s five-month genocidal war on Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Amir-Abdollahian expressed his satisfaction with the level of cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, voicing the Islamic Republic’s readiness to boost bilateral relations by putting forward common priorities in cooperation between the two countries.
The Iranian foreign minister underlined as one of the “important priorities” the consolidation of economic and trade relations in addition to the facilitation of commercial activities between Tehran and Riyadh.
The top Iranian diplomat also thanked his Saudi counterpart accepting Iran’s proposal to hold the emergency meeting on Gaza and hosting the summit, underscoring the significance of adopting a “coherent and strong” position by the OIC member states in support of Palestinians and ending the Israeli crimes in the besieged territory.
“Our expectation is that in this summit, in addition to common positions, effective steps will be taken to support Palestine and end the genocide,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
The Saudi foreign minister, for his part, pointed to the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and emphasized the importance of the Jeddah summit in line with continuing efforts to end the war against Palestinians.
Bin Farhan Al Saud underlined the significance of collective efforts by Islamic countries, both in the OIC and in international forums, including the United Nations, in the issue of Gaza.
The Saudi diplomat expressed his satisfaction with the progress of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, and emphasized the will of Saudi Arabia to take new steps in advancing bilateral relations.
The two foreign ministers also agreed on joint efforts to fulfill shared goals.
Palestine ‘core’ issue of Islamic world
In another meeting on Tuesday, Amir-Abdollahian held talks with the OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and discussed latest developments in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Iranian foreign minister described Palestine as the “core issue” of the Islamic world and underscored the need for a stronger and more effective effort by the OIC to end as soon as possible the Israeli war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
Pointing to the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the besieged territory, Amir-Abdollahian underlined the necessity for the Islamic countries to send a “firm and deterrent” message to the Israeli regime and its supporters by taking strong decisions at the Jeddah summit in line with ending the genocide in Gaza.
