NEW YORK — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the statement by German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas that included his intention to work towards strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing cooperation in all areas between the Kingdom and Germany.

The Kingdom affirms the deep strategic ties it enjoys with the Federal Republic of Germany, as it is a historic and important relationship for both countries. The Kingdom and Germany play a leading role in bolstering international security and stability, and the global economy.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir extended an invitation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany to visit the Kingdom at the earliest opportunity, so that both countries may begin a new phase of close cooperation in all areas to the benefit of both our countries and peoples.

The German minister said, in recent months our relations have witnessed misunderstandings which stand in sharp contrast to our otherwise strong and strategic ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We sincerely regret this.

We should have been clearer in our communications and engagement in order to avoid such misunderstandings between Germany and the Kingdom, he said, adding, we aim to foster close cooperation between our two countries and to this end seek to intensify our dialogue on a broad range of topics.

Saudi Arabia is a country that plays an immensely important role for peace and stability in the region and the world. As there is a broad range of bilateral and international issues to discuss, we will do our best to make this partnership with the Kingdom even stronger than before, he said, adding, considering our role in Europe and the world, improving our ties with Saudi Arabia will serve the interest of both nations and peoples. — SG