Iran Press/ Iran News: According to Shada, Ehsan Khandouzi detailed the achievements of his trip to Jeddah and future plans in an interview with Al-Alam TV.
The full text of the interview is as follows:
Al-Alam: What was the purpose of your trip to Saudi Arabia as the first senior Iranian official after the agreement between Tehran and Riyadh?
Min: The main goal was to participate in the annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank(IsDB), which was held in Jeddah this year. As you know, the Islamic Development Bank is the most important financial body of Islamic countries, and the Islamic Republic is one of the founders of the bank and the third largest shareholder, and over the past years, we have been able to have very good cooperation with the body.
On the sidelines of the meeting, I had bilateral interactions and negotiations with the ministers of the economy of Islamic countries, none of which were as important as my meeting with the minister of the economy of Saudi Arabia, which seems to have opened a very good chapter.
Of course, it is still too early to talk about the achievements of the two countries, but I have proposed a roadmap for the economic interactions between the two countries and we hope to see the help of our friends and brothers in these economic interactions in trade and joint investments.
Al-Alam: Are there plans for the officials of the two countries to meet in the near future, and did you talk about the reopening of the embassies in the two countries?
Min: Yes, the Foreign Ministry of Iran and Saudi Arabia are quickly discussing the reopening of the embassies of both sides in Tehran and Riyadh as soon as possible, and the Iranian consulate in Jeddah will also be activated soon after the opening of the embassy.
I also suggested to the Saudi Minister of Economy that delegations from Iran's private sector, i.e. managers of large companies, travel to Saudi Arabia, and this will happen soon.
We are ready to welcome Saudi companies to learn about our potential and invest in the fields of technology.
We hope that by the end of the summer, we will be able to start not only cooperation between government sectors but also cooperation between private companies of the two countries.
I also agreed with my Saudi counterpart about investing in oil and gas projects. Of course, the flights between the two countries and financing the Hajj and Iranian pilgrims during the Hajj were other issues that were discussed.
Al-Alam: Mr. Raisi's government has adopted a policy of cooperation with neighboring countries, especially Arab countries, how much is the impact of these cooperations on Iran's economy?
Minister: To me, this is a win-win policy not only for Iran's economy but also for our allies in the region, neighboring and Islamic countries, and the countries in West Asia, that is, it provides the interests of Iran's economy, and the interests of the region's economy.
Considering that the influence of foreign powers in West Asia and North Africa has reached an all-time low and they have become weaker and weaker, this opportunity has now been provided for us to benefit economically from interactions with the countries of the region and Islamic countries.
Al-Alam: How do you evaluate the economic relations between Iran and Syria and what are the priorities?
Minister: An important part of the talks between Mr. Raisi and Bashar Assad was on purely economic issues of Iran and Syria.
Two days ago, the Minister of Economy of Syria once again called me to send him as soon as possible the latest follow-up regarding the economic cooperation, which was agreed upon during Raisi's visit to Syria.
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