Shia Muslim Iran and conservative Sunni kingdom, bitter rivals for influence in the Gulf, meet in New York.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have held
their first foreign minister-level meeting since the 2013 election of President
Hassan Rouhani, official Iranian media have reported, signalling a possible
thaw in relations between the rival Gulf powers.
Shia Muslim Iran and the
conservative Sunni kingdom have been engaged in a bitter contest for influence
in the region, evident in political and military struggles in Syria, Iraq,
Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen.
The Iranian foreign minister,
Mohammad Javad Zarif, suggested after his meeting in New York with his Saudi
counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal, that the talks could lead to an improvement
in relations.
“Both my Saudi counterpart and
I believe that this meeting will be the first page of a new chapter in our two
countries’ relations,” Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted Zarif as saying.
“We hope that this new chapter
will be effective in establishing regional and global peace and security and
will safeguard the interests of Muslim nations across the world.“
IRNA reported that Prince Saud,
in a reference to the advance of Islamic State (Isis) militants in Iraq and
Syria, said he was aware of the sensitivity of the situation.
“We are aware of the importance
and sensitivity of this crisis and the opportunity we have ahead of us. We
believe that by using this precious opportunity and avoid the mistakes of the
past, we can deal with this crisis successfully,” he said.
“These two countries are
influential in the region and cooperation between them will have clear effects
on the establishment of regional and global security.“
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