Iranian Economy and Finance Minister Ehsan Khandozi visited Saudi Arabia on Thursday for his first visit since the resumption of diplomatic relations between the states, Tasnim reports.
According to its reports, Khandozi arrived in Jeddah leading a delegation from the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Economy and was met at the airport by Saudi officials as well as leaders of the Islamic Development Bank and employees of the Iranian consulate general based in Jeddah.
The economy minister is expected to hold talks with top officials of the kingdom and also address a meeting of the Islamic Development Bank. The agency did not provide details about which of the Saudi authorities Khandozi planned to meet with.
Khandozi first announced about his intention to visit Jeddah on April 11, but did not specify the exact date of the expected trip. Khandozi also said then that the Iranian side plans to prepare a roadmap for developing trade relations with Saudi Arabia in the near future, including through a joint chamber of commerce, the establishment of which is on the agenda. The volume of trade turnover after the restoration of trade between Tehran and Riyadh is expected to reach $1 billion, he noted and expressed hope that these figures will grow in the future.
On March 10, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies within two months. Representatives of the two countries held talks for several days in Beijing, which resulted in a trilateral statement. It notes that the countries are committed to the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in each other's domestic affairs and plan to resume cooperation in trade, economy, culture, science and technology.
Relations between Riyadh and Tehran deteriorated in March 2015 with the start of the Saudi-led coalition military operation in Yemen against the Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement. In January 2016, after the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were attacked by crowds of protesters outraged by the execution in Riyadh of Shiite preacher Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the kingdom broke off diplomatic relations with Iran.
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Based on materials from TASS