UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed today welcomed the agreement reached between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations, saying it was “an important step towards stability and prosperity” in the region.

And Syria on Saturday welcomed an agreement reached between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies, saying it would lead to more stability in the region.

Iran has been a major backer of President Bashar al-Assad’s government, while Saudi Arabia is backing opposition fighters trying to oust him from power.

Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies after seven years of tension. The major diplomatic achievement achieved in negotiations with China reduces the likelihood of armed conflict between regional rivals, both directly and through intermediaries.

The agreement was reached in Beijing at a solemn meeting of the National People’s Congress. This marks a major diplomatic victory for China as the Arab states of the Persian Gulf believe the United States is slowly withdrawing from the Middle East. The deal is also that diplomats are trying to end the protracted conflict in Yemen, which has heavily involved Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry welcomed the agreement in a statement, calling it “an important step that will lead to increased security and stability in the region.”

He added that the agreement will also lead to cooperation that “positively reflects the common interests of the peoples of the two countries in particular and the peoples of the region as a whole.”

Since the February 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria and killed more than 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria, Saudi Arabia was one of several Arab countries that provided aid to government-controlled areas of Syria.

The Saudi foreign ministry acknowledged this week that there is a “growing consensus” among the Gulf kingdoms and other Arab countries that the Damascus isolation is not working and dialogue is needed. Syria’s membership in the Arab League, a confederation of Arab governments, was suspended in 2011 due to a violent crackdown on protesters.

The conflict in Syria, which turns 13 next week, has claimed the lives of nearly half a million people and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million.

Source: Associated Press, Reuters, APE-MPE.