Riyadh (IRNA) -- Iranian Vice-President and head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei arrived here Saturday evening.

Talking to IRNA upon his arrival, the VP said the aim of his trip to Saudi Arabia was to submit a message from President Ahmadinejad for Saudi King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz al-Saud. He said "Iran considers promotion of its relations in all fields with Saudi Arabia very important."

The visiting Iranian VP said that in addition to meeting the Saudi king, he will also meet with other Saudi officials in the culture and tourism sectors.

He had earlier announced that Iran would open an office in Riyadh to promote its cultural and historical attractions as well as handicrafts.

Iran recently participated in an exhibition dubbed `Tourism and Handicrafts in Islamic Countries' held in Riyadh.