TEHRAN, Oct 25 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, said yesterday, the promotion of bilateral ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia will effectively enhance regional cooperation and help resolve the problems of the region.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Iran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi, in the Iranian capital, Tehran, to receive his credentials, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president’s office.
Raisi described Iran and Saudi Arabia as two “major and important regional countries,” highlighting the diplomatic efforts to tap into the two countries’ capacities, to strengthen fruitful bilateral ties and safeguard the interests of the regional states.
He said, “The lack of solidarity among Muslim countries and their failure to adopt a united position, in defence of the Palestinian civilians and against Israel’s decades of oppression have led to the long-standing conflict.”
He stressed the importance of the exchange of capacities among Muslim states, to meet each other’s needs, and eliminate the need for foreign parties’ presence and interference, which is “a factor to further complicate the issues” in the region.
For his part, the Saudi envoy described Riyadh-Tehran ties as very strong, saying, the two peoples’ links and commonalities outweigh their differences.
He expressed hope bilateral relations and cooperation would improve and expand day by day.
The Saudi envoy arrived in Tehran in early Sept, a few hours after the arrival of Iranian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, in Riyadh.
In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached, in Beijing, a groundbreaking agreement to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and missions within two months.
On Apr 6, the two countries officially announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016, in response to attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, after the kingdom executed a Shiite cleric.– NNN-IRNA
