Envoy to Saudi Arabia Offers New Perspective on Regional Security

Iran’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia suggested that the countries of the region adopt a fresh perspective on the issue of regional security, one which is based on development rather than militarization. 
Ali Reza Enayati made the remarks in an interview with al-Alam television news network on Tuesday.
“Today, we are after more cooperation with each other and prioritize [the issue of] regional security based on [the concept of] development,” the envoy said.
Security does not come by through either weapons or ammunition or military forces, Enayati asserted, calling militarization of the issue of security “a great mistake”.
The United States and its western allies have been encouraging regional countries to buy billions of dollars’ worth of state-of-the-art weaponry for decades on end.
In order to increase sales, the western allies have been investing heavily in the antagonization of the region’s countries against one another through either political coercion or media-delivered propaganda.
Iran has, however, invariably warned the regional players against being lured by western enticement.
The Islamic Republic stresses that regional security has to be provided by regional countries in cooperation with one another, noting that security cannot be either imported from abroad or realized through foreign military intervention.
“In [its] new sense, security has to be based on economic, commercial, social and cultural development,” Enayati noted, saying the Islamic Republic welcomes such a vantage point.
The envoy made the remarks following accreditation by Saudi Arabia as Iran’s new ambassador to Riyadh.
Back in March, China successfully mediated talks between the countries that led to their signing of a deal enabling the restoration of their diplomatic ties following many years of estrangement.
Observers have welcomed the development as a counterweight to efforts aimed at the alienation of the region’s countries from each other, saying the rapprochement serves to invigorate regional cohesion and integrity.

New Era 

Meanwhile, Iran officially reopened its embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday, months after the two countries agreed to restore their diplomatic relations.
“We consider today an important day in the relations of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Bigdeli told a flag-raising ceremony.
“The cooperation between the countries is entering a new era,” he added.
The reopening of the embassy will facilitate travel between Iran and Saudi Arabia, as they have been trying to reinstate direct flights, boost trade and rebuild business connections.
While Saudi Arabia has not yet reopened its embassy in Tehran, the restoration of diplomatic relations will enable Iranian pilgrims to more easily apply for Saudi visas for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that Iranian diplomats had already started helping Iranian pilgrims for Hajj. He said Iran’s consulate would also reopen in the Saudi port city of Jeddah this week.
On March 10, after several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties and reopen embassies seven years after their relations were severed.
In a joint statement after signing the agreement, Tehran and Riyadh highlighted the need to respect each other’s national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.

They 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.
Last month, Iran appointed Enayati 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.
On May 11, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced that Saudi Arabia had appointed a new ambassador to Tehran, in line with the China-brokered March agreement between the two countries to revive relations.