Tehran Willing to Promote Ties with Riyadh: Iranian Envoy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hamid Reza Dehqani voiced Tehran's willingness to boost bilateral relations with Riyadh.
“Iran attaches great importance to Saudi Arabia’s role in the region and is willing to improve bilateral relations with the country in the framework of common interests,” Dehqani said in a press conference, according to the Lebanese Elnashra news website.
He also emphasized that numerous meetings should be held by the two countries’ officials in order to improve the ties.
Earlier on Monday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for African and Middle Eastern Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian left Tehran for Riyadh in the first visit to Saudi Arabia by a senior government official since President Hassan Rouhani took office in 2013.
He is scheduled to meet Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal on issues of mutual interest.
On September 19, 2013, Rouhani hailed Saudi Arabia as a close friend of the Islamic Republic, and expressed both nations’ willingness to smooth over "trivial tensions" that have strained bilateral relations.
Iran and Saudi Arabia, as the two key regional powers, have tried in recent years to turn their traditional rivalry into cooperation.