Beijing, Mar 24 (Agency) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will start on Wednesday his Middle East tour, which includes official visits to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, as well as a working visit to Oman. The tour will last through March 30 and is set to demonstrate Beijing’s readiness to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the region and responsible attitude regarding security and stability in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia will be the first country to be visited by the Chinese minister, where he is set to meet with his counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, against the backdrop of Riyadh’s recent proposal of a widespread United Nations-sponsored ceasefire in Yemen. The next stop will be Turkey, with the talks with the country’s leadership being focused on bilateral relations, as well as regional and international agendas. Wang is expected to hold a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In Iran, the Chinese minister is set to meet with his counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, as well as President Hassan Rouhani, to discuss the strategy to strengthen partnership and exchange views on regional and international issues. Wang will be the highest-ranking Chinese official to pay an official visit to Tehran following the visit of President Xi Jinping in 2016.