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Saudi-British Commitment to Fight Terrorism, Solve Regional Conflicts | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques receives British Foreign Secretary (SPA)


Riyadh – The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz met wirth British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting, the officials discussed bilateral relations, in the presence of Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir; and British Ambassador to the Kingdom Simon Collis, as well as other officials.

Also on Sunday, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Johnson to review means to promote bilateral relations in security, military and economic fields. They also discussed latest developments in the Middle East, and efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in the region.

During a joint news conference, Al-Jubeir stressed the consolidated Saudi-British relations.

He also said that the remarks attributed by the media to the British foreign secretary during a conference in Italy were erroneously interpreted as defaming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on an earlier meeting with Johnson, Al-Jubeir said: “We discussed regional issues concerning the peace process and the importance of reaching a comprehensive and fair solution to the Palestinian Israeli struggle through the Arab peace initiative.”

“We spoke about Lebanon, expressing hope that the Lebanese would form a government that guarantees political stability in the country,” he added.

Al-Jubeir added that the meeting stressed the need to reach a peaceful solution in Syria based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254.

He noted that Riyadh and London shared identical views with regards to the situation in Iraq, where the two sides call for the implementation of reforms agreed in 2014 to guarantee Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity.

On the situation in Yemen, Al-Jubeir said an agreement was reached between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Britain on the importance to support U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed in his efforts to forge a peaceful solution in the war-torn country.

The Saudi foreign minister said he discussed with his British counterpart means to promote cooperation in fighting terrorism and combating extremism, confirming that the talks, in this context, covered the Iranian interference in the affairs of the region, a move rejected by all countries of the region.

For his part, the British foreign secretary underscored the importance of his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to further consolidate the excellent ties between the two countries.

Commenting on the situation in Yemen, the British foreign secretary said the United Kingdom supports the coalition and its endeavor to restore the legitimate government’s control on all parts of the country.

He stressed that the international community was committed to support efforts to alleviate the Yemeni people’s suffering, while drawing the attention to the great threat the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was subjected to, due to this struggle along its border, citing the shelling of schools inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the killing of students and the threat of ballistic missiles targeting its territories across the border.