Riyadh — Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Germany Prince Khalid Bin Bandar has returned to Berlin, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Last month a government spokesman said that Saudi Arabia was an important partner in the region that Germany wanted to cooperate with.

He added that the Saudi foreign minister had invited German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to Riyadh.

Standing alongside his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir at the United Nations, Maas spoke of “misunderstandings” that had undermined what were otherwise “strong and strategic ties” between the countries, saying “we sincerely regret this”.

“We should have been clearer in our communication and engagement in order to avoid such misunderstandings between Germany and the Kingdom,” he said. “We’ll do our best to make this partnership with the Kingdom even stronger than before.”

Jubeir said he welcomed Maas’ statement and invited him to the Kingdom to intensify their ties. He spoke of a “a new phase of close cooperation in all areas” between Berlin and Riyadh.

New German ambassador to Saudi Arabia Joerg Ranau is now expected to receive his accreditation and take up his position in Riyadh. — Agencies