Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir met in Cairo today with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry. During the meeting, they discussed means of enhancing bilateral relations in various fields and reviewed a number of regional and international issues of common interest, particularly the situation in Syria and Yemen.

During a joint press conference following their meeting, the ministers said there is no daylight between them with respect to Yemen and Syria and agree to continue bilateral coordination at various levels to enhance bilateral relations in a way that serves the interest of the two countries and their peoples.

Minister Al-Jubeir stressed that Saudi and Egyptian visions regarding Yemen and Syria are close to each other, adding that the two countries are seeking to remove Bashar Al-Assad from power after he lost his legitimacy, and are seeking to restore peace and stability in Syria. Minister Al-Jubeir also said that the two countries are seeking to protect the government and military institutions in Syria to be able to deal with the challenges in a post-Assad regime Syria.

Regarding Yemen, Al-Jubeir addressed the efforts to continue political negotiations and to solve Yemeni crisis. The minister said that the Egypt and Saudi Arabia support efforts that aims at finding peaceful solution to the crisis and support any effort that increases humanitarian aid for the Yemeni people.

Al-Jubeir also said that Egypt is one of the first countries to participate in the Arab coalition and that coordination between the two countries on Yemen and Syria are ongoing.

Minister Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia's contacts with Russia match Egypt's, which aim at convincing Moscow to abandon Bashar Al-Assad or to use its influence in order to convince him to give up power as soon as possible.

Al-Jubeir confirmed that the meeting discussed foreign intervention in the Arab region, particularly the intervention by Iran as it is the only country that intervenes in the affairs of the region's countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq or Yemen, stressing that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects negative acts carried out by Iran as well as Iran's support for terrorism.

“We look forward today to building normal relations with Iran, but this depends on Iran's behavior, non-interference in the affairs of the region's countries, not supporting terrorism, and not taking actions that harm the interests of the region's countries. We will not be silent on Iran's interventions in the region,” Al-Jubeir said.

With regard to terrorism, Al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia has taken strong stances against terrorism and extremism as well as their supporters in order to protect the Saudi people and the whole world.