By Syed Zafar Mehdi
TEHRAN (AA) - Iran and Maldives have agreed to restore diplomatic ties after more than seven years.
The decision came during a meeting between Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Maldivian counterpart Ahmed Khaleel on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York on Friday.
A joint statement issued by the two sides said the foreign ministers of the two countries "reaffirmed their decision to restore diplomatic relations in alignment with the interests and aspirations of their peoples."
"The two governments have agreed to further develop the friendly relations between the two countries based on mutual respect for sovereignty, equality, mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence," the statement noted.
It further said the two countries have "resolved to strengthen cooperation on a wide range of areas including investment, trade, seamless of travel and people-to-people contact, science, and technological innovation."
Maldives severed its diplomatic ties with Iran after relations between Riyadh and Tehran broke down in early 2016 following an attack on a Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran over the execution of a Saudi Shia cleric.
In solidarity with its key ally Saudi Arabia, Maldives at the time accused Iran of pursuing policies detrimental to regional peace and security.
After Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore ties in March following marathon negotiations mediated by Iraq, Oman and China that lasted two years, Maldives and countries that had cut ties with Iran in support of Riyadh welcomed the move.
Weeks after the Iran-Saudi rapprochement, Maldives issued a statement that it was resuming diplomatic ties with Iran "in the light of these positive and welcoming developments", referring to Tehran-Riyadh normalization.
Other countries, including the UAE and Kuwait, have already restored ties with Iran while Bahrain and Egypt are currently engaged in talks with Tehran.
The formal announcement of Iran and Maldives resuming ties came days after Iran and Djibouti also announced the resumption of their ties.