Iran and Saudi Arabia will hold fresh rounds of talks in the coming days, with the next to be held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Amer al-Fayez, a member of the international affairs committee in the Iraqi parliament, told Sputnik on Tuesday
BAGHDAD (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2021) Iran and Saudi Arabia will hold fresh rounds of talks in the coming days, with the next to be held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, Amer al-Fayez, a member of the international affairs committee in the Iraqi parliament, told Sputnik on Tuesday.
In late April, Arab media reported that Saudi and Iranian officials held several rounds of direct negotiations, including one in Baghdad on April 9, to restore ties between the two countries that were severed five years ago. Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian government spokesperson Ali Rabiei said that Tehran and Riyadh had held two rounds of talks to discuss bilateral relations and ways to resolve regional issues.
"The parties will hold several rounds of negotiations during the upcoming period. The next one will be held in Baghdad, and then others may be held on the territory of one of the two countries alternately in Riyadh and then in Tehran, or vice versa," al-Fayez said.
The date of a fresh meeting in the Iraqi capital has yet to be set, the lawmaker noted, adding that previous sessions were held at the level of representatives of the two nations' foreign ministries.
"The talks took place in Baghdad with Iraqi mediation to bring views [of the two states] closer. At the request of the Iranian and Saudi sides, Iraq [was chosen to] be an arena for negotiations with a purpose to clarify the situation between the two countries," al-Fayez added.
When asked about the agenda, the Iraqi lawmaker said that he was not aware of other details related to the key topic.
In addition, an informed Iraqi political source told Sputnik on Tuesday that some progress had been achieved in the process of rapprochement between the two middle East powers, "especially during a second meeting." The source did not provide any further details.
Iran and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties in 2016 when Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad were attacked by violent mobs, seeking revenge for the execution of famous Shiite preacher Nimr Baqir Nimr by the Saudis. Out of solidarity with Riyadh, Bahrain, Sudan, and Djibouti also cut relations with Iran.
