Saudi Arabia denounces Iranian interventions in region

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir on Monday expressed the kingdom's condemnation and rejection of the aggressive statements of Iranian officials concerning Iran's interventions in the internal affairs of the countries in the region, stressing that this is unacceptable for us and for our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab countries.

He also expressed the kingdom's condemnation of the threats and statements made by Iranian officials towards our brothers in Bahrain. 'This is something we do not accept and reject, and we believe it does not represent the desire of a state seeking good neighborliness, but rather represents a country with ambitions in the region and adopts aggressive behaviors', he said.

During a press conference held at the headquarters of the ministry with the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, he stated that the Iranian nuclear file and the deal reached by the group of (five-plus-one) with Iran explained to us the mechanism concerning the accord to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and that the mechanism of inspection included military sites and also a mechanism for reinstate sanctions on Iran in case of any violation of this deal.

He praised his meetings with EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, which dealt with bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the European Union and how to strength them in various fields, and to facilitate and increase the duration of visas for Saudis to five years, pointing out that the two sides will continue to discuss this issue.

He added that the meeting addressed a number of regional issues, particularly the Palestinian issue and how to revive the peace process on well-known foundations, especially on the basis of the Arab peace initiative and how to activate it.

Al-Jubeir mentioned the situation in Syria and the importance of finding a political solution leading to the removal of Bashar al-Assad's regime from power and maintaining the Syrian government and private institutions.

He also stressed the importance of implementing reforms in Iraq, which were adopted last summer and which called for the participation of all Iraq's communities in a unified Iraqi state.

He spoke about the situation in Yemen and the humanitarian truce requested by the Yemeni President and endorsed by the coalition countries, stressing the importance of finding a political solution that would restore the legitimate authority to take Yemen out of this tragedy and transfer it to a better future.

'We also talked about the situation in Libya and how to deal with it in a way that restores stability to them and allow Libya to work for reconstruction.'

He thanked the European envoy for foreign affairs on her visit to the kingdom, and the fruitful and constructive discussions, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.