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U.S. embassy in Riyadh to resume all regular consular services

Xinhua, March 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

The U.S. embassy in Riyadh announced Saturday that the embassy and consulates will resume all regular consular services on Sunday.

Consular services were cancelled at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran from March 15 to 19, due to heightened security concerns at U.S. diplomatic facilities in the country.

The embassy said on its website that all U.S. citizens are encouraged to continue to be aware of their surroundings and take extra precautions when travelling throughout the country.

The statement also urged U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia and limit non-essential travel within the country.

Saudi Arabia and the United States are sharing good relations, especially in efforts to fight terrorism in the region such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

No official announcement was made by the Saudi side about the temporary closure of the embassy.

Sources from the U.S. embassy confirmed this week to Al Hayat newspaper that the embassy has coordinated with the concerned Saudi authority before taking the decision, without citing the threat.

The newspaper attributed the reason to Islamic State terrorism threat that is not directly targeting Americans in the country. Endit