A LANDMARK agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran mediated by China to resume diplomatic ties was reached in Beijing on Friday, which experts hailed as a milestone in helping deescalate tensions and restore peace in the Middle East.

After years of bitter rivalry in the Middle East region, Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two key regional powers, have agreed to reestablish ties and reopen embassies within two months, according to a joint statement issued by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The statement was released after Saudi Arabia, led by Minister of State Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, and Iran, led by Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, held talks in Beijing from March 6 to 10, which were brokered by China.

Iran and Saudi Arabia also agreed to adhere to the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, resolve the disagreements between them through dialogue and diplomacy, respect the sovereignty of states and not interfere in internal affairs of states, says the statement.

“The highlight of the trilateral joint statement lies in Beijing,” Li Shaoxian, dean of China-Arab States Institute in China’s Ningxia University, told China Media Group, as the decision to reestablish diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia was pushed forward by China.

China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said the deal “represents the successful practice of the Global Security Initiative proposed by China,” hailing it “a victory for dialogue, a victory for peace.”

Their dialogue and the agreement set a good example of how Middle Eastern countries can resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, according to Li, who noted that challenges in the region, such as the ongoing Syrian crisis and Palestine-Israel conflict, remain unresolved.

Li’s analysis echoed comments by China’s Foreign Ministry.

“I want to stress that China pursues no selfish interest whatsoever in the Middle East,” a spokesperson for the ministry said Saturday when detailing the Saudi-Iran talks in Beijing.

Zhu Weilie, director of the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times that the sense of pursuing independent diplomacy in the Middle East region is on the rise in recent years. China’s diplomatic approach of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs while promoting dialogue to address issues is being well-received across the region, Zhu said.

(CGTN, Global Times)