Iran: Saudi - Iranian relations reflect on Arab states

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharazi held a joint press conference today upon the arrival of the Saudi minister in Tehran, during which the two sides expressed their countries' desire to expand the volume of bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Prince Saud al-Faisal stressed the need for developing relations between Tehran and Riyadh, noting that continued contacts and meetings between Saudi and Iranian officials embody the two countries' political will to maintain consultations and coordination on issues of concern to the two sides. He expressed hope that his talks with Iranian officials would yield positive results towards issues of mutual concern.

For his part, Kharazi stressed that Iran gives special priority to Prince al-Faisal's visit to Tehran. He added that the accord to be signed later today between the two sides would pave the way for further cooperation between the two countries in various political, economic and cultural fields.

Kharazi said that normalization of relations between the two countries would reflect positively on all countries of the region. He pointed out the positive climate prevailing in relations between Iran and its neighboring Arab states.

Prince al-Faisal arrived in Tehran earlier in the day for a two-day official visit.