Iran Reopens Embassy In Saudi Arabia After Seven Years Of Closure (Video)
On June 6, Iran officially reopened its embassy in Saudi Arabia, seven years after the regional rivals severed diplomatic ties.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations following breakthrough talks which were held in the Chinese capital, Beijing around three months ago. The kingdom broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran. Riyadh had executed a prominent Shia cleric days earlier.
Footage aired by al-Hadath TV showed the Iranian flag being raised outside the embassy building in Riyadh, accompanied by the playing of the Iranian national anthem. Representatives of the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministries attended the ceremony, the Saudi-owned channel reported.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Bigdeli, said that, with the re-hoisting of the flag of Iran in Saudi Arabia and vice versa, the cooperation between the two countries enters a new era.
Diplomacy is the best means for communication and dialogue between countries to reach a common understanding, stability, and peace, Bigdeli said, adding that Iran is always willing to strengthen relations with its neighbors based on the principles of good neighborliness.
Iranian media reported last month that Tehran had appointed Alireza Enayati, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in Gulf affairs as its new ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
From its side, the kingdom has not yet said when it will reopen its embassy in Tehran or who its envoy to the Islamic Republic will be.
At a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Cape Town last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction with the “good progress made in bilateral ties”. Amir-Abdollahian also cited Prince bin Farhan as saying that the groundwork was being laid to reopen the Saudi embassy in Tehran and confirming that he would visit there “soon”.
The Saudi-Iranian rapprochement de-escalated tensions in the Middle East. This is especially clear in wart-torn Yemen, where peace talks are finally moving forward, as well as in Syria, which was able to restore its membership in the Arab League.
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