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Chinese top diplomat praises successful Iranian-Saudi talks as ‘victory of dialogue’

Wang Yi noted that it brings "important good news in today's turbulent world"

BEIRUT, March 11. /TASS/. China honestly fulfilled its duties of a mediator between Iran and Saudi Arabia, achieving a major diplomatic breakthrough the Middle East, China’s top diplomat was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party Wang Yi welcomed the agreement to restore diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh, which followed bilateral talks, held in Beijing on March 6-10.

"The success of these talks is the victory of dialogue, the victory of peace, and it brings us major good news in the current turbulent world," Wang Yi was quoted as saying.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Friday that Iran and Saudi Arabia had agreed to normalize bilateral relations and planned to open embassies within two months. Iranian and Saudi diplomats had held talks in Beijing for several days, after which a trilateral statement was adopted. The statement says that the countries are committed to the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs and plan to resume cooperation in the areas of trade, economy, culture, science and technology.

Relations between Riyadh and Tehran became strained in March 2015 after a Saudi-led coalition had launched a military operation in Yemen against the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad were attacked by crowds protesting against the execution in Riyadh of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric.

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