Türkiye welcomes Riyadh, Tehran decision to restore ties

ANKARA

Ankara welcomes Saudi Arabia and Iran for agreeing to resume bilateral diplomatic ties after officials of the two countries met in China on March 10, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said.

It is a “significant step” taken by Riyadh and Tehran “in conformity with the rapprochement and normalization processes that have prevailed in the Middle East for a while,” a statement from the ministry said.

Ankara congratulated Saudi Arabia and Iran for their decision and expressed the belief that “this progress in the relations of the two countries would make important contributions to the security, stability, and prosperity of our region.”

Regional powerhouses Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions in a surprise, Chinese-brokered announcement that could have wide-ranging implications across the Middle East.

In a trilateral statement, Shiite-majority Iran and mainly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia said they would reopen embassies and missions within two months and implement security and economic cooperation deals signed more than 20 years ago.

Riyadh cut ties after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in 2016 following the Saudi execution of revered Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr -- just one in a series of flashpoints between the two longstanding rivals.