France welcomed Friday evening March 10 the announcement of the restoration within two months of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran, while calling on Tehran "
to renounce its destabilizing actions
".
Iran and Saudi Arabia, two regional powers in the Middle East, severed ties in 2016 after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic following Riyadh's execution of a famous Shia cleric.
In a joint statement, Riyadh and Tehran indicated “
to resume their diplomatic relations and to reopen the embassies and representations (diplomatic) within a maximum period of two months
”.
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Paris is in favor of "
any initiative that can contribute in a concrete way to the de-escalation of tensions and the strengthening of regional security and stability
", said Anne-Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release. .
She added that the head of diplomacy Catherine Colonna had been informed of this decision during a meeting on Friday in Paris with her Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan.