The Islamic Republic is resolved to strengthen bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia, and a hopeful future awaits the kingdom as well, According to Iran’s ambassador in Riyadh.
In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat, Alireza Enayati stated, “I want to emphasize what President Ebrahim Raeisi assigned to me when I met him, which is to employ all efforts” to develop Tehran-Riyadh friendly and fraternal relations.
He stated that Iran considers Saudi Arabia to be a “strategic partner of great importance within the framework of its good neighborliness policy.”
Enayati added that “a promising future” is on the horizon as the two countries seek to strengthen bilateral ties.
“What has been achieved during the past six months heralds goodness and a promising future, and we have serious resolve to develop Iranian-Saudi relations,” he said, adding, “We have seen the same feeling in our [Saudi] brothers.”
This imposes “a huge responsibility on me to first develop and strengthen bilateral relations and then use them for the benefit of the region based on common interests, reciprocal respect, and collective responsibility.”
According to the Iranian diplomat, the two adjacent countries are “influential in the region and the Islamic world.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia decided in March to resume diplomatic relations that had been cut in 2016.
Iran’s embassy in Riyadh reopened in June, followed by its consulate in Jeddah and a representative office with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad have also resumed operations.
Enayati arrived in Riyadh last Tuesday to start his highly-anticipated diplomatic mission. Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador, also arrived in Tehran on the same day.
