TEHRAN - Iran has appointed a senior diplomat as its ambassador to Saudi Arabia in line with the China-brokered March agreement between the two countries to revive relations after years of estrangement.
Reports said that Alireza Enayati was named as the Iranian envoy to Riyadh.
He had previously served as Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait, assistant to the foreign minister and director-general of Persian Gulf affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
Following several days of intensive negotiations in Beijing, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on March 10 to resume their diplomatic ties and reopen their embassies within two months.
In a joint statement after signing the agreement, Tehran and Riyadh highlighted the need to respect each others’ national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.
They also agreed to implement a security cooperation agreement signed in April 2001 and another accord reached in May 1998 to boost economic, commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports, and youth affairs cooperation.
The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers met for the first time in seven years on April 6, stressing the need to implement the rapprochement deal.