JEDDAH: The first meeting of the Saudi-Chinese-Iranian Tripartite Joint Committee concluded in Beijing on Friday with the Saudi and Iranian delegations pledging their commitment to implementing the Beijing Agreement.
Wang Yi — a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission Office, and minister of foreign affairs — chaired a group meeting with the heads of the Saudi and Iranian delegations, the deputy ministers of foreign affairs Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji and Ali Bagheri Kani, respectively.
The talks revolved around the improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran following the Beijing agreement reached between both countries under Chinese auspices in March, the reopening of the embassies of both countries in Riyadh and Tehran, and the meetings and mutual visits of both nations’ foreign ministers.
The Saudi and Iranian delegations praised China for its important role in hosting the meeting and pledged their commitment to implementing the terms of the Beijing Agreement.
The three parties discussed aspects of tripartite cooperation in various fields, while raising concerns over the ongoing situation in Gaza — which they said posed a threat to regional and global peace and security — and calling for an immediate cessation of military operations in the Strip.
They also expressed the need for a sustainable system of civilian aid and slammed the forced displacement of Palestinians. Any decision regarding Palestine’s future must reflect the will of the Palestinian people, the trio added, and uphold the right for them to establish their own state and determine their own destiny.
It was agreed that the next meeting of the tripartite would be held in Saudi Arabia in June.
Saudi Arabia and Iran both thanked China for hosting the meeting and for its role in mediating between Riyadh and Tehran.
The three sides also expressed concern over the situation in Gaza and said that any solution to the conflict must adhere to the will of the Palestinian people.
