OIC FMs to hold emergency meeting on Saudi-Iranian developments

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of its member states to discuss the repercussions of the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad.

The meeting, called for by Saudi Arabia, will be held at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah on January 21, the OIC said in a statement.

The OIC secretary general had received a letter from Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir, in which he called for holding the meeting; and the majority of the Member States have approved holding it.

The foreign ministers' meeting will be preceded by a preparatory meeting of the ambassadors of OIC member states, it added.

On January 3, Saudi Arabia announced cutting its diplomatic ties with Iran after demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran on the day before in protest against Riyadh’s executions of 47 people convicted of terrorism, which include Shiite preacher Nimr al Nimr and al Qaeda ideologue Fares al Shuwail.

The demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy building in the Iranian capital, smashed furniture and started fires before being ejected by the police. No Saudi embassy staff was in the building at the time.

A copycat protest at the Saudi consulate in the Iranian city of Mashhad broke out on the January 3.

Source: MENA