“We are ready to improve bilateral ties based on common interests, honesty, and openness,” said Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal when receiving the credentials of Iran’s new ambassador to Riyadh Hossein Sadeqi.
The Iranian envoy, for his part, underlined that the promotion of ties with neighbors, Saudi Arabia in particular, sets a priority for Iran's foreign policy.
Sadeqi had earlier worked as the Islamic Republic’s envoy in Riyadh, Kuwait City, and Abu Dhabi.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed Saudi Arabia on September 19, 2013 as a close friend of the Islamic Republic, and expressed both nations’ willingness to smooth over "trivial tensions" that have strained bilateral relations.
He also added that Tehran and Riyadh have a lot of common interests and enjoy regional commonalities, and emphasized the need for upgrading the level of interactions between the two Muslim countries.
Iran and Saudi Arabia, as the two key regional powers, have tried in recent years to turn their traditional rivalry into cooperation.