By Zhai Jun
Saudi Arabia and Iran, since making great achievements in their talks in Beijing, have made new strides in improving bilateral relations in accordance with the identified roadmap and timetable laid out in their Beijing agreement.
On April 6, the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Beijing and signed a joint statement, with which the two countries announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect.
It turned a new page in Saudi Arabia-Iran relations and encouraged goodwill for reconciliation between nations in the Middle East. It has provided an important example for countries to resolve conflicts through dialogues and consultation, and a successful practice for implementing the China-proposed Global Security Initiative (GSI) and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Their resumption of diplomatic relations has been broadly welcomed by Middle East countries and the international community.
As a reliable mediator with good faith, China has earnestly fulfilled its duties in hosting the talks. It has won the full trust of both Saudi Arabia and Iran, and has been highly appreciated by countries and peoples of the region.
The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Hotspot issues keep flaring up and the prevailing trend of peace and development is facing serious challenges.
The Middle East sees a variety of regional hotspot issues with complex conflicts. China, working with countries in the Middle East to practice the GSI and promoting the resumption of Saudi Arabia-Iran diplomatic ties, has demonstrated its sense of responsibility and brought good news to the world in turmoil.
The Beijing talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran fully proved that mutual respect, dialogue and consultation are the fundamental solution to resolve disputes. Facts have shown time and again that war and sanctions only create more conflicts and turbulence, and only mutual understanding and accommodation lead the way to inclusive solutions.
No matter how complex the issues are or how thorny the challenges may be, the international community, especially influential major countries, should steadfastly facilitate talks for peace, play good offices and mediate in light of the needs and will of the countries concerned, and support relevant parties to build trust, settle disputes and promote security through dialogue in accordance with the principle of mutual respect.
The Beijing talks fully demonstrated that independence, solidarity and cooperation are the only ways to safeguard the common interests of developing countries.
Some external major powers have long been engaged in acts to stoke conflicts, create divisions and divide and rule in the Middle East, which has created turbulence in the region and suffering of the people.
Many developing countries in the world share similar experiences with countries in the Middle East. There is no so-called “vacuum” in international politics, and developing countries have the will and ability to take the initiative for their peace and development.
Facing external interference, developing countries should further uphold independence, solidarity and cooperation, as well as promote peace through unity, pursue stability through self-reliance, and achieve development through cooperation.
The Beijing talks fully proved that only by upholding the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security can universal security and common security be achieved.
Humanity is an indivisible security community. Be it in the Middle East or other regions, the path to security is never a one-way road, but a lane that comes in two directions featuring mutual understanding.
Parties concerned should take each other’s legitimate and reasonable security concerns seriously, establish platforms for security dialogue with the participation of all parties involved, and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, so as to achieve lasting security that is firmly established.
The Beijing talks fully proved that abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter is the fundamental guideline for handling inter-state relations.
The purposes and principles of the UN Charter embody the deep reflection by people around the world on the bitter lessons of the two world wars. They are humanity’s institutional design for collective security and lasting peace.
The various confrontations and injustices in the world today did not occur because the purposes and principles of the UN Charter are outdated, but because they are not effectively maintained and implemented.
The international community should firmly uphold the basic norms of international relations underpinned by the UN Charter, follow the rules such as sovereign equality and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and seek impartial and reasonable solutions that are acceptable to all parties.
China is a good friend and partner of countries in the Middle East. It does not have self-interests and does not seek to put up exclusive blocs in the region. China is dedicated to the political settlement of hotspot issues with a sincere hope to promote security and stability in the Middle East.
In recent years, China has put forward a five-point initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East, a four-point proposal for the political settlement of the Syrian issue, and a three-route vision for the implementation of the two-state solution to the Palestinian question to build a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security architecture in the Middle East. These efforts are consistent with China’s practice of promoting the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as the spirit of the GSI.
China will, as always, demonstrate its sense of responsibility as a major country, uphold justice and support countries in the Middle East in pursuing strategic independence, strengthening solidarity and coordination and shaking off external interference.
It will keep supporting Middle East countries in independently exploring ways to solve hotspot issues that are suited to regional realities through dialogue and consultation. It will work to promote security and stability in the region, encourage developing countries to pursue solidarity and cooperation, and push the international order in a fairer and more reasonable direction.
(Zhai Jun is the Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue)
