Beijing, Apr 6 (EFE).- The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia have met in the Chinese capital, marking the first formal meeting between top diplomats of the two countries in seven years.

Beijing (China), 06/04/2023.- A handout photo made available by Iranian foreign ministry office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdoulahian (R) shaking hands with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (L) during a meeting in Beijing, China, 06 April 2023. According to a joint statement, the two sides met to discuss the re-opening of their embassies and consulates after the two countries signed a China-brokered deal on 10 March on resuming diplomatic relations. (Abierto, Arabia Saudita) EFE/EPA/IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

The meeting came barely a month after a China-brokered rapprochement after the two Gulf countries agreed in March to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions.

The Saudi-Iran ties were marred by years of a rift that sparked tensions in the region.

The Chinese official CCTV network released an image Thursday of a three-person handshake by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and China’s top diplomat Qin Qang, with the flags of their respective countries in the backdrop.

The Iranian foreign ministry confirmed the meeting on its Twitter account, posting photographs of the two leaders seated in wide armchairs, chatting and smiling.

The Iranian Press TV said the two sides stressed the importance of the official restoration of ties and discussed steps to reopen embassies in Tehran and Riyadh and missions in the Iranian city of Mashhad and the Saudi city of Jeddah.

The Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat said the meeting in Beijing was part of the China-mediated agreement reached last month.

Riyadh broke ties with Tehran in 2016 after protesters stormed its diplomatic headquarters in Iran following Saudi Arabia’s execution of a popular Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

In April 2021, secret talks between Tehran and Riyadh began in Baghdad, which was later made public.

Last year, Iran sent three diplomats to Saudi Arabia for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in a move that saw Tehran officials set foot in the country for the first time since bilateral ties were severed.

The regional rivals have jostled for supremacy in the Middle East for years and have long been on opposing sides of geo-political issues in the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of promoting terrorism in the region by backing Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah militias in Lebanon.

Most recently, Iran accused Riyadh of fomenting the unrest that sparked nationwide protests in the Persian country following the death in police custody of a young Kurdish woman in September. EFE

Beijing-ssk