RIYADH, 21 August - The Afghan Embassy in Saudi Arabia, which closed in September last year after Riyadh severed ties with the former Taleban regime, has reopened, the Afghan ambassador-designate said yesterday.
"The embassy in Riyadh has been open for regular work for the last two weeks," said Mohammed Anwar who presented a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal yesterday.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the two reviewed issues pertaining to bilateral relations. The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Suweigh, director general of the branch of the Foreign Ministry in Jeddah. Ambassador- designate Anwar confirmed that the Afghan consulate general in Jeddah also had resumed normal duty.
The Kingdom reopened its embassy in Afghanistan in February, almost five months after closing it in the wake of the Sept.11 terror attacks against the United States.
"Our relations with Saudi Arabia are deep-rooted in history. They had been good and they remain excellent," Anwar said. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Prince Abdullah, the regent, on Sunday sent cables to Afghan President Hamid Karzai congratulating him on his country's national day. In his cable, King Fahd underscored the "strength of ties which bond the two countries and peoples" and wished the Afghan people progress and prosperity.
Saudi Arabia is home to about 100,000 Afghan nationals.
