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Iran’ parliament to question deputy FM over Saudi Arabia visit

Politics Materials 17 September 2014 12:15 (UTC +04:00)
Deputy Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran's Majlis (parliament) Mansour Haqiqatpour said that the members of the committee are critical of Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian's visit to Saudi Arabia.
Iran’ parliament to question deputy FM over Saudi Arabia visit

Tehran, Iran, Sept. 17

By Milad Fashtami - Trend:

Deputy Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran's Majlis (parliament) Mansour Haqiqatpour said that the members of the committee are critical of Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian's visit to Saudi Arabia.

"Mr. Amir Abdollahian has to answer the questions of the members of the committee next week," he said, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported on Sept. 17.

He went on to note that the members of the committee believe that considering the position of Saudi Arabia in the region, the trip was not necessary.

"Saudi Arabia helped creating ISIL. The country is also cooperating with Washington to reach their goals in the region. But Iran is a mighty power in the region and the whole world. So if the Saudi officials felt the need to hold talks with Tehran, they should have traveled to our country," he explained.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Saudi Arabia in August.

During the official visit, Amir-Abdollahian held a meeting with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal.Bilateral ties, as well as regional developments were at the heart of the talks.

In regards to Amir Abdollahian's visit, Iranian Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Aug. 3 that the talks were positive.

"I'm looking forward to talk with my Saudi counterpart," he said.

It was previously reported that Iranian foreign minister will visit Saudi Arabia in near future.
Prince Saud al-Faisal, said on May 13 that his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif has been invited to visit the kingdom.

Faisal also said that his country is ready to negotiate better relations with Iran. He went on to note that his country hopes to settle any differences with Tehran in future talks.

Amir-Abdollahian replied that his country has not received any official invitation from Saudi Arabia for Zarif's visit to the Persian Gulf kingdom. He went on to note that the foreign ministers of the two countries will hold a meeting in near future, but the exact time is not clear yet.

Amir-Abdollahian, however, said that Tehran welcomes Prince Saud al-Faisal, if he ever decides to visit Iran.

"Iran and Saudi Arabia are two key states in the region," he said, adding that negotiations between the two countries can be important for resolving conflicts in the region.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have their differences over several regional issues such as the situations in Syria and Bahrain.

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