TEHRAN - Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the UN, has welcomed the reopening of the Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia, calling the move “helpful.”

Responding to a question on whether the re-opening of the Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia is a positive move in the region, Dujarric said, “I think any time two countries, especially two countries with so much influence in that area -- in the [Persian] Gulf -- are engaged in open and constructive dialogue, it is helpful to the region.”

He made the remarks at a daily press briefing, according to Xinhua. 

A ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 6, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to formally re-open the Iranian Embassy, in the presence of Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Alireza Bikdeli, Hassan Zarnegar, the caretaker of the mission, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs Ali Al-Yousef and a number of other Foreign Ministry officials, as well as ambassadors and diplomats and representatives of regional and international organizations accredited to Riyadh.

During the ceremony, Bikdeli said Iran and Saudi Arabia have many capacities in different governmental and public fields for the expansion of their relations, according to a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry. 

He thanked Saudi Arabia for providing the necessary facilities for the re-opening of the Iranian embassy and said the activation of the two countries’ embassies will facilitate bilateral cooperation.

During the ceremony, Iran’s national anthem was played as the country’s national flag was raised and the embassy formally resumed its activities.

The re-opening comes days after the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Cape Town on the sidelines of a BRICS meeting. At the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan that the ambassadors of the two countries have been introduced fortunately and the stage has been set for the opening of the embassies and consulates of the two countries.

Bin Farhan, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the very good progress achieved in bilateral relations with Iran. 

The top Saudi diplomat also said he will visit Tehran soon.

Iran and March agreed on March 10 to patch up their ties after seven years. They signed a Chinese-brokered agreement that set the stage for the restoration of their ties. The deal was widely hailed as a landmark.