Iran Welcomes Gulf Ministerial Statement on Resumption of Relations with Saudi Arabia


Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Saudi National Security Adviser Musaed al-Aiban and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani, in Beijing (AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Saudi National Security Adviser Musaed al-Aiban and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani, in Beijing (AP)
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Iran Welcomes Gulf Ministerial Statement on Resumption of Relations with Saudi Arabia


Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Saudi National Security Adviser Musaed al-Aiban and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani, in Beijing (AP)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Saudi National Security Adviser Musaed al-Aiban and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani, in Beijing (AP)

Iranian Foreign Ministry welcomed the statement issued at the 155th GCC Ministerial Council on the resumption of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Spokesman Nasser Kanaani expressed his country's aspirations for the agreement to be influential in promoting peace and stability in the region.

Saudi Arabia and Iran announced earlier this month that they had agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen the embassies within a maximum of two months.

On Tuesday, the GCC Ministerial Council held a meeting at the headquarters of the General Secretariat. The meeting welcomed the agreement, under the auspices of China, to resume Saudi-Iranian diplomatic relations.

The Council hoped the agreement would be a positive step for resolving differences and ending all regional conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.

It also aimed to establish relations between countries based on understanding, mutual respect, good neighborliness, respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and adherence to the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's charters and international laws and norms.

Kanaani appreciated China for supporting and hosting the process and Iraq and Oman for their effective measures toward resuming political relations between the countries.

He said the support of regional countries for this agreement indicates the neighbors' determination to promote diplomatic initiatives at the regional level.

Kanaani pointed out that Tehran considers interaction and cooperation with its neighbors as the best way to solve regional problems and welcomes positive initiatives in developing relations based on good neighborliness and international principles and rules.

However, Kanaani said the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb were an integral and eternal part of the territory of Iran.

The Iranian statement rejected the Ministerial Council's affirmation of the importance of Iran's commitment not to exceed the rate of uranium enrichment for peaceful uses and the need to fulfill its obligations and fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Council also stressed the need for the Gulf states to participate in all regional and international negotiations, discussions, and meetings.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tehran knew its international responsibilities and obligations and has always adhered to the treaties. Regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it interacts and communicates with the relevant parties in the technical and political frameworks related to this agreement."



Afghans Arrive in the Philippines to Complete Visa Processing for Resettlement in US

This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)
This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)
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Afghans Arrive in the Philippines to Complete Visa Processing for Resettlement in US

This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)
This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)

A group of Afghan nationals arrived in the Philippines ⁠on Monday to process special immigrant visas for their resettlement in the United States, as part of an agreement between Manila and Washington.
The Philippines agreed last July to temporarily host a US immigrant visa processing center for a limited number of Afghan nationals aspiring to resettle in America.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said the Afghan nationals who landed in the Philippines on Monday were provided entry visas. She said they had completed extensive security vetting and undergone full medical screenings prior to their arrival, The Associated Press said.
The US government will cover the costs for the Afghan nationals' stay in the Philippines, including their food, housing, security, medical and transportation expenses, she said.
She didn't specify how many Afghans arrived or how long the visa processing will take. Under the Philippines' rules, visa applicants can stay for no longer than 59 days.
A senior Philippine official told The Associated Press last year that only 150 to 300 applicants would be accommodated in the Philippines under the “one-time” deal. The official who had knowledge of the negotiations agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to speak publicly.
The Afghan nationals seeking resettlement primarily worked for the US government in Afghanistan or were deemed eligible for US special immigrant visas but were left behind when Washington withdrew from the country and Taliban militants took back power in a chaotic period in 2021.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken first relayed the request to his Philippines counterpart in 2022, and President Joe Biden discussed the request with Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when he visited the US last year, Philippine officials said.
Marcos has rekindled relations with the US since winning the presidency by a landslide margin two years ago. In February last year, he allowed an expansion of the American military presence under a 2014 defense agreement in a decision that upset China.