TEHRAN – Iranian tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami and his Saudi counterpart Ahmed Al-Khateeb on Wednesday condemned Israel’s strike on a hospital in Gaza.

The ministers censured the brutal attack in their meeting in Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the 25th session of the World Tourism Organization’s general assembly, Mehr reported.

“First, I would like to express my deep sadness and the Muslim world's tremendous sorrow for the Zionist regime’s fierce attack [that killed hundreds of people at a hospital in the Palestinian territory], “ Zarghami said.

The genocide that started, especially the brutal attacks on the hospital in Gaza, is unprecedented in history, and Iran and Saudi Arabia have an important duty and a common historical mission to shed light on the behavior of the Zionist regime and defend the Palestinian people, the Iranian minister said.

Condemning Israel's attacks on Gaza, Al-Khateeb said his country had issued many statements against Israel's attack on Gaza, and it had a strong position against this issue.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Saudi minister voiced his gratification that relations between Tehran and Riyadh have expanded again. “We are neighboring countries with a long history,” Al-Khateeb stated.

Regarding the deadly attack, Palestinian health authorities said the deaths at the hospital in Gaza were caused by an Israeli air strike, but the Israeli military claimed that the tragedy arose from a failed rocket launch by a Palestinian militant group.

Last month, deputy tourism ministers from Iran and Saudi Arabia exchanged views on possible ways to re-establish and deepen tourism ties between the two neighbors after more than seven years of diplomatic estrangement.

“In Riyadh, I met and talked with Sultan M. Al-Musallam, Saudi Arabia’s deputy tourism minister for international affairs,” Maryam Jalali Dehkordi said.  “We discussed ways to remove obstacles to the development of tourism relations between the two countries,” said Jalali Dehkordi, the deputy for handicrafts at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft.

To expand cooperation, it was decided to draft some memoranda of understanding, working closely with all the relevant authorities. “Apart from existing capacities, we discussed a roadmap for further consultations at different levels to deepen cooperation,” the official said.

On March 10, the two Persian Gulf states signed a Chinese-brokered deal to restore their diplomatic ties after a seven-year hiatus.

Over the past couple of months, Tehran and Riyadh have exchanged signals to widen tourism cooperation, such as easing visa procedures and re-establishing routine direct flights.

AFM