Iran’s Embassy in Saudi Arabia Reopens Formally

The ceremony was held in Riyadh on Tuesday to formally reopen the Iranian embassy in the presence of Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Alireza Bikdeli, Hassan Zarnegar, the caretaker of the mission, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs Ali Al-Yousef, and a number of other Foreign Ministry officials as well as ambassadors and diplomats and representatives of regional and international organizations accredited to Riyadh.

During the ceremony, Bikdeli said Iran and Saudi Arabia have many capacities in different governmental and public fields for the expansion of their relations, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

He also thanked Saudi Arabia for providing the necessary facilities for the reopening of the Iranian embassy and said the activation of the two countries’ embassies will facilitate bilateral cooperation.

During the ceremony, Iran’s national anthem was played as the country’s national flag was raised and the embassy formally resumed its activities.

In an interview with Iran's Arabic-language al-Alam television news network on Tuesday, Iran's new ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alireza Enayati suggested that the countries of the region adopt a fresh perspective on the issue of regional security, one which is based on development rather than militarization.

"Today, we are after more cooperation with each other and prioritize (the issue of) regional security based on (the concept of) development," the envoy said.

Security does not come by through either weapons or ammunition or military forces, Enayati asserted, calling militarization of the issue of security "a great mistake."

"In (its) new sense, security has to be based on economic, commercial, social, and cultural development," Enayati noted, saying the Islamic Republic welcomes such a vantage point, Press TV reported.