TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has welcomed effortsfor mediation with Saudi Arabia ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visitto the country.
During in an interview with TRT World, Zarif said “We’ve always been opento discussing anything with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is our neighbor.We’re going to be here together permanently”.
Iranian FM added “We don’t have any choice but to talk to each other, andwe have been open to talking to Saudi Arabia either directly or throughintermediaries”.
When asked about PM Imran’s upcoming visit to Tehran, Zarif said, “We’venever rejected any intermediary… We’ve always been open to mediation, andwe’ve always been open to direct talks with our Saudi neighbors.”
The Foreign Office on Thursday said PM Imran was likely to visit SaudiArabia and Iran, weeks after Islamabad said Washington had asked it tomediate with Tehran.
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“The possibility of a visit of the prime minister to Saudi Arabia and Iranis on the cards,” Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said duringhis weekly news briefing on Thursday.
The announcement of the possible visit comes after PM Imran last month saidthat US President Donald Trump had asked him to help defuse tensions in theMiddle East.
