Italy is concerned over rising political tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as it may trigger further instability in the Middle East, Italian Foreign Ministry said Monday.
"The Italian Foreign Ministry has expressed great concern for the increasing political and diplomatic tension in the Middle East, which risks exacerbating the divisions in the Islamic world to an unsustainable level and compromising current diplomatic efforts addressed at resolving the serious crisis experienced by the region," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, Italy encourages Tehran and Riyadh to do everything possible to reduce tensions and not to allow further escalation.
"A search for solutions for the complex crises in the Middle East – primarily those in Syria and in Yemen – cannot disregard a desire for dialogue and a strategic vision from all sides, in particular the main countries in the region," the ministry said.
The Italian Foreign Ministry also urged the conflicting sides to acknowledge that all parties have a common enemy that they should unite against, which is international terrorism.
On Saturday, demonstrators in Iran protesting the execution of a prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Riyadh, attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad.
Riyadh announced late Sunday its decision to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran to prevent Iran from "sabotaging security" of the kingdom. Iranian diplomats were ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.
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