Shia–Sunni relations

Greece and Saudi Arabia agreed on Wednesday to set up a jointly-owned company that will look at linking their power grids, taking the first step in their plan to supply Europe with cheaper green energy, the Greek energy ministry said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began a visit to China on Tuesday that comes as Beijing is seeking a larger role in Middle East politics and competing for energy resources.

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The foreign ministers of Middle East rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing on Thursday, Tehran said, paving the way for normalised ties under a surprise China-brokered deal.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on March 23 that the kingdom is in talks with Syria to resume consular services for the first time since 2012, Saudi state media reported.

State-owned Al Ekhbariya TV reported the discussions, citing a source in the Saudi foreign ministry. Saudi and Syrian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Welcoming the deal between the "two brotherly countries," the King of Saudi Arabia has invited Iran's President to visit Riyadh, Al Jazeera reported quoting an Iranian official.

Ankara welcomes Saudi Arabia and Iran for agreeing to resume bilateral diplomatic ties after officials of the two countries met in China on March 10, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said.

Regional powerhouses Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions in a surprise, Chinese-brokered announcement that could have wide-ranging implications across the Middle East.

Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday and kicked out its diplomats after a cyberattack in July it blamed on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Feb. 19 hat he planned to raise U.S. concerns about human rights during a visit to Saudi Arabia, in particular the case of a Saudi-American doctor facing trial there who was barred from leaving the kingdom and allegedly tortured.

President Klaus Iohannis has met at the Coroceni Presidential Palace, on Wednesday, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir.