SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein said on Saturday that Baghdad will host another round of talks between regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Hussein revealed the development during remarks at a diplomatic forum in Antalya on Turkey’s southern coast cited by local media, according to Reuters.
The talks will be the fourth round hosted by Baghdad between officials from its two neighbors and mutual adversaries, according to local media.
Saudi Arabia and Iran, which cut ties in 2016, launched talks last year hosted by Iraq as global powers sought to salvage a nuclear pact with Tehran, which Gulf states deemed flawed for not tackling Iran’s missiles programme and network of proxies.
Diplomats hope the opening of direct channels between Iran and Saudi Arabia will signal an easing of tensions across the Middle East after years of hostilities that have brought the region close to a full-scale conflict.