Aziz To Brief NA Committee Over Pakistan’s Position On Saudi-Iran Row

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif over the weekend blamed Saudi Arabia for destabilizing the Middle East – an accusation shot right back at Tehran by Arab League countries who said the Islamic Republic was responsible for “sowing sectarian strife”.

Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against the execution of prominent Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi authorities, on January 2, 2016.

“The Ministerial Council discussed the repercussions of the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in the Iranian city of Mashhad”.

The visits came after Saudi Arabia and several of its allies announced the severing or downgrading of diplomatic relations with Shiite powerhouse Iran.

The spokesman said that recent high level contacts between the two countries had further strengthened these ties.

ANKARA – Turkey is ready to try to resolve the differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday.

“Through all these diplomatic effort, Saudi Arabia to some extent can achieve its expectations and goals, because both the United States and some European countries must now reconsider their approach to Iran given the current pressure from Saudi Arabia”.

The people of Pakistan were bonded with the people of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through historical, cultural and Islamic ties of brotherhood, he told Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Prince Mohammad bin Salman al Saud. “As the Saudi geopolitical tensions with Iran develop, Pakistan has to be balanced; their energy relations with Iran are very important as well as the sectarian tensions ignited in the country”, Cafiero added.

“The goal of Sheikh Nimr’s execution and attacks on the Saudi embassy [in Tehran] was to pave the way for the advancement of the U.S. policies in the region”, he said.

In a closing statement distributed after the meeting, the Arab League also referred to the reported discovery by Bahrain of a militant group that it said was backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Aziz will give an in-camera briefing in which he is expected to explain Pakistan’s stance on Saudi-Iran tensions and its role in resolving the crisis.

Islamabad-Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership on Sunday reasserted that any threat to territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia will evoke strong response from Pakistan. At a meeting in Cairo on Sunday, foreign ministers from the 22-member-state body advised against so-called interference in the internal affairs of its nations.

Saudi Arabia had adopted the policy of confronting the regional realities and they seek escalation of tensions and hostility with Iran, Jaber Ansari said.