ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Thursday welcomed the reopening of Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia, calling it an “important development” that would positively impact peace and stability in the region.
The administration in Tehran formally reopened its embassy in Riyadh this week after the two Middle Eastern countries decided to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions following an agreement brokered by the Chinese authorities in March this year.
The Iranian embassy started operating in Saudi Arabia for the first time in seven years on Tuesday.
“The opening of the Iran embassy in Riyadh is a welcome and important development in pursuance of normalization of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly news briefing.
A picture shows the closed Iranian consulate in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on April 10, 2023. (AFP)
She described the development as a “tangible confidence-building measure” between two important countries in a volatile region.
“Pakistan has a history of actively supporting diplomatic and peaceful efforts of bridging gaps between our friends and brotherly countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia,” she continued. “It will not only contribute significantly to positive relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia but also have a significant impact on peace and stability in the region.”
It may be recalled that the kingdom decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Iran after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran in 2016.
