Governor of Riyadh Province Prince Salman Ibn Abdul Aziz yesterday inaugurated the seven-day Iran Trade Fair at Riyadh Exhibition Center. In a statement on the occasion, Prince Salman remarked that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, neighboring brotherly countries, can fulfill each other's needs within the framework of joint benefits and circumstances. Praising the organizing of the Iran Trade Fair, Prince Salman said it will enrich the developing Saudi-Iranian relations, which he described as excellent. Remarking that the Kingdom has a free market economy, he expressed the hope that the exhibition, and others like it, would encourage trade and industry exchanges between the two countries, and encourage businessmen and importers to conclude trade deals.

Prince Salman went on to say: "Economic and trade relations represent the depth of political relations, and such ties remain non-existent in the absence of political understanding." Referring to the visit to Tehran of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard during the Islamic summit conference last December, he said the continuing exchange of visits, including the current visit to Iran by the Chairman of the Saudi Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura), is directed toward promotion of relations between the two countries, adding: "It is only natural that the two brotherly countries should have good relations. On behalf of the Kingdom, I would like to say that Saudi Arabia has sought and is still seeking to have excellent relations with Iranian companies for the benefit of both our peoples."
Prince Salman praised Iranian President Muhammad Khatami, who has been working for improvement of the bilateral ties. In this context, he also praised former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has boosted cooperation between the Kingdom and Iran.

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