"We have seen recently Saudi Arabia and Iran normalising their relations. This will add more stability to the region. And let’s not forget that the first round of negotiations leading to a positive outcome took place in Baghdad," said Borrell in a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Sunday in Brussels.
"Baghdad was the theatre of this important rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. That is a good reason to welcome your policy as a good neighbourhood relations maker: not only you are stabilising your country, but you are contributing to stabilising the region," he added.
He went on to say, "It is certainly good news, the fact that two countries who were - let’s say - in a difficult relationship, decided to restart diplomatic engagement and to send Ambassadors. That can only contribute to the stability of the region and ease tensions."
In response to a question about the effect of the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, Borrell said, "The JCPOA is a different issue. The JCPOA has its own governing bodies. We continue working on that. A good relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran is good for everything, but the JCPOA has its own dynamics."
After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally clinched a deal on Friday to restore diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its embassy in Tehran.
The two sides had held five rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since April 2021.
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