Iran names ambassador to Saudi Arabia
As ties warm up between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the former appoints an ambassador to Riyadh as the latest sign of rapprochement.
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Iranian navy members march during the Army Day parade in front of the mausoleum of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini just outside Tehran, Iran, April 18, 2023 (AP)
Alireza Enayati has been named as the Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the Iranian Mizan news agency reported on Monday.
This comes after a settlement reached between Tehran and Riyadh in April, which was mediated by China, putting an end to a protracted political dispute between the two regional powers.
Alireza Enayati served as an assistant to the foreign minister and director-general of Gulf Affairs at the ministry.
Enayati said in April that Saudi and Iranian authorities are consulting and cooperating to pave the way for the reopening of their diplomatic missions.
An Iranian delegation landed in early April in Saudi Arabia to finalize talks over the reopening of embassies between the two countries and the resumption of the work of the diplomatic mission.
The visit came just days after the Saudi delegation arrived in Iran to prepare for the reopening of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told the Iranian news agency ISNA that initial steps to appoint ambassadors between Saudi Arabia and Iran were underway.
"The recent agreements between Iran and Saudi Arabia will have a positive effect on boosting cooperation in order to improve peace and stability and on strengthening economic and trade relations between the two countries and in the region," Kanaani pointed out.
A month after Iran and Saudi Arabia struck a deal to restore diplomatic relations under Chinese mediation, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, met in Beijing for the first meeting between their two countries' top diplomats in seven years.
Moreover, King Salman expressed his welcome to the agreement to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries and invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for an official visit to Riyadh to initiate and develop bilateralism between the two countries.
The agreement to officially restore diplomatic ties was signed at a ceremony on April 6 in Beijing.
The two countries are scheduled to resume direct flights, allow mutual visits by top officials, and foster security collaboration. The collective West has been set back by the China-sponsored peace.
