A protocol on establishing diplomatic relations was signed today between the Republic of Armenia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the protocol was signed in Abu Dhabi by Karen Grigoryan, the ambassador of Armenia to the UAE, and Sultan bin Abdallah Al-Ankar, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia.
“The two countries have established diplomatic relations, guided by the desire to strengthen bilateral relations and expand the scope of cooperation, to support the provision of international security and peace.
The document on the establishment of diplomatic relations records the desire of the two countries to “strengthen the ties of effective cooperation in the political, economic, technological, development, trade and cultural spheres in order to realize the mutual aspirations of establishing warm relations in various fields,” the message said.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke about this yesterday, considering the imminent establishment of diplomatic relations as a significant development. “We have had contacts with Saudi Arabia in recent years, and our foreign ministers have met twice, telephone conversations have also taken place, contacts have taken place during various multilateral working discussions. And in my assessment, the process is moving forward, and I hope that Armenia and Saudi Arabia will officially establish diplomatic relations in the near future, which will be a very important and significant event,” Pashinyan stated during the press conference.
So far, it is not clear whether the two countries are going to open embassies in each other’s capitals. The other Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, have embassies in Yerevan.
Saudi Arabia refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia because of the Karabakh conflict. Riyadh announced that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Armenia until the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is restored. The oil-rich kingdom’s policy towards Yerevan changed when Riyadh’s relations with Ankara and its close ally Baku deteriorated a few years ago.The visit of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian to Riyadh in October 2021 was one of the signs of the policy change.
