(CNN) — The US State Department described, on Monday, the agreement announced on Friday between Saudi Arabia and Iran, mediated by China, to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies within two months as “a very good thing.”
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “We support dialogue, diplomatic efforts, and anything that would work to calm tensions in the region, and perhaps help prevent conflict,” and added that his country “supported this process at every step.”
Price answered a question about whether the success of the Chinese-brokered agreement indicates the marginalization of the US role in the region, saying that he “has difficulty accepting the possibility of replacing our role, especially since there is no country on earth that has made more efforts than the United States to help make the region more stable and integrated.
He pointed to the efforts of the Joe Biden administration in the region, including Yemen and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying: “I believe that these efforts have achieved results that have made the region more stable, integrated and prosperous.”
He stated: “If, as a result of this agreement, Iran changes its behavior and actually takes steps to respect sovereignty and not interfere in the internal affairs of its neighbors, then this will be beneficial for the region.”
It is noteworthy that Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in January 2016, after the attack on the Kingdom’s embassy and consulate in Iran, amid Iranian protests against Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
And on Friday, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iran and China announced that they had reached an agreement, in Beijing, to resume diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran and reopen their embassies and representations within a maximum period of two months, according to a joint statement of the three countries.
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