Across the Middle East, countries are using the holy month of Ramadan to host meetings and engage in diplomacy that aims to heal the rifts of the region.
This is unique and important because many countries that have had tensions in the past are now trying to work together toward a new era of diplomacy. This engagement is important and many of the countries involved believe it will result in stability.
Saudi Arabian envoys in Iraq talk with Iran
For instance, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia in Iraq held a meeting with Iran over an iftar meeting. According to the Saudi Gazette, “Saudi Ambassador to Iraq Abdulaziz Al-Shammari attended an iftar banquet hosted by the Iranian Ambassador in Baghdad Muhammad Al-Sadiq…a number of ambassadors accredited to the Iraqi capital also attended the iftar.”
In Norway, the Saudi Ambassador Amal Yahya Al-Moallimi also hosted an annual Ramadan iftar banquet and invited the Iranian Ambassador Ali Reza Yousefi, “along with the heads of Arab and Islamic diplomatic missions accredited to Norway.”
Iranian and Saudi social media accounts praised and highlighted these meetings. The iftar diplomacy takes place as Iran and Saudi Arabia are working on reconciliation that will include re-opening diplomatic posts and increasing trade and interactions.
CHINA’S TOP diplomat, Wang Yi, flanked by senior security officials of Iran and Saudi Arabia, announces that the two countries have agreed to restore diplomatic relations, in Beijing, earlier this month. (credit: CHINA DAILY VIA REUTERS)“The signing of the agreement and the phone calls brought in a friendly atmosphere among members of the diplomatic corps of the two countries all over the world. The month of Ramadan witnessed the meeting of the ambassadors of the two countries in Iraq and Norway for iftar banquets, which confirms the progress in activating the Beijing agreement and the return of relations to normal,” the Saudi Gazette noted.
Iran’s Mahr News also noted the importance of these events. “On the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, the ambassador of Iran in Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh hosted an Iftar dinner at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Arab country. The banquet was held with the aim of converging the countries of the West Asian region,” the Iranian report said.
Saudi Arabia also began iftar programs in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. While these are designed to encourage Islamic unity and outreach, they clearly also help Saudi Arabia’s image and give a chance for people to meet one another.
Turkey and Egypt host event, as well as Israel
Turkey’s diplomat in Egypt also hosted an event, according to posts online. This showcases Turkey’s attempt to do outreach in Egypt. For many years Ankara had a cold relationship with Egypt but the last year has brought more attempts at reconciliation. Ramadan is used as a way for Ankara to reach out and engage with important figures in Egypt.
According to a report by Dalia Ziada, Director of the MEEM Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, the Turkish diplomat Salih Mutlu Sen said, “our deep-rooted historical relationship has never been broken. It is now taking a new turn with a focus on a better future for the two nations.” Sen was appointed last year to Cairo and Ankara said it would upgrade relations with Egypt to ambassador level in mid-March, after years of not having an ambassador in Egypt. Sen was Turkey’s former representative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation between 2015-2020. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is supposed to travel to Egypt soon.
Observers who watch for messaging over Ramadan also noted that Israel’s Foreign Ministry hosted an iftar event.
The New Arab website noted that “ambassadors from Jordan, Bahrain, and the UAE skipped a Ramadan event organized by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday in a sign of a growing rift between Arab states and Israel. The Ministry had tweeted about the event on April 3, noting “Muslim diplomats and senior officials attended an Iftar meal at the Israel MFA hosted by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen…participants included ambassadors and diplomats from the embassies of Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Albania, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Tanzania as well as Chad and Azerbaijan.”
The US Embassy in Israel also hosted an iftar event. “Ambassador [Tom] Nides welcomed a group of Arab Mayors and Engineers from the towns of Sakhnin, Arraba, Ilaboun, Kaukab Abu al-Hija, and Kabul who returned from a 3-week US Government-sponsored International Visitors Leadership Program in the US,” the Embassy website noted.
Across the Middle East, the holy month has been used for outreach. This is important and in contrast to some previous years where tensions between countries and groups have underpinned the instability and extremism that has threatened the Middle East. The Saudi-Iran reconciliation and Turkey’s outreach are two cornerstones of how the region is changing and putting diplomacy first.
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