Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahyan today expressed hope from the Lebanese capital, where he is visiting, for the normalization of relations between Tehran and Saudi Arabia, while at the same time welcoming the ongoing rapprochement between Turkey and Syria.
The head of Iranian diplomacy met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and, according to the Syrian pro-government newspaper Al-Watan, will leave for Syria tomorrow Saturday. It is recalled that Tehran supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
“We welcome the return to normal relations with Saudi Arabia, which will lead to the opening of representative offices or embassies in Tehran and Riyadh as part of the dialogue between the two countries, which should continue,” Abdollahyan said in an interview with the press.
The remarks by the Iranian minister, who arrived in Beirut last night, came as Iran, which is experiencing a historic wave of protests, is accusing its “enemies” of fomenting US-led protests and highlighting the role of Saudi Arabia in funding “hostile” media abroad.
In November, Tehran urged Riyadh to change its “unfriendly” behavior and threatened the Islamic Republic’s neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, with retaliatory measures in the event of any attempts to destabilize the country.
Iran and Saudi Arabia severed ties seven years ago after protesters in Iran attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in Riyadh.
Tehran and Riyadh support opposing camps in several conflicts in the region, especially in Yemen. Iran has a dominant influence in Iraq and Lebanon and militarily and politically supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The Iranian Foreign Minister said today that he is “pleased with the ongoing dialogue between Syria and Turkey”, which, according to him, should have positive results in the interests of both countries.
The Iranian foreign minister also renewed Iran’s offer to supply fuel to Lebanon or to “rehabilitate” aging “power plants or build new ones” despite the sanctions imposed on Tehran.
However, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bouhabib, for his part, spoke of “external pressure and obstacles” that could block the Iranian proposal.
According to APE-MPE, AFP, Reuters
Source: Kathimerini
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