Saudi FM to Russia: No place for Iran, Assad in Syria’s future

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said yesterday that Syrian regime President Bashar Al-Assad, Iranian militias and Hezbollah have no future in Syria.

“Al-Assad is responsible for the killing of 300,000 Syrian citizens. He is also to blame for the involvement of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah in carrying out crimes of genocide in Syria,” the minister said.

Al-Jubeir was speaking during a press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow.

The minister said that Saudi Arabia is coordinating with Russia on the crisis in Syria, adding that “the two countries agree to respect the sovereignty of states”.

“We discussed the peace process in the Middle East and the crisis in Syria and the importance of maintaining its unity,” he said noting that “the Syrian regime has repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement.”

He pointed out that he discussed with Lavrov “how to strengthen cooperation with Russia in the interest of both countries.”

“We are working to put an end to Iran and Hezbollah’s interference in the region,” the minister said.

The Saudi minister expressed his country’s readiness to exchange views with Moscow on common challenges, stressing that “the leadership of both countries is very keen to strengthen historical relations”.