Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said Tuesday that the European Parliament’s information about the Kingdom was based on “rumors.”
Addressing the parliament in Brussels, he said: “Stop criticizing our causes. We are a sovereign nation that refuses to be patronized.”
He also added that Europe’s role in the region was significant militarily and economically.
Jubeir stressed that Saudi Arabia was continuing its efforts in combating and eliminating terrorism. It does not allow the spread of hate and has for years been cracking down on those promoting extremism.
“Qatar is spreading hate and using its various platforms to promote such rhetoric,” he went on to say, citing the country’s support for terrorist and extremist groups. “It must alter its behavior and cease supporting terrorism.”
Moreover, he declared Iran as the world’s greatest state-sponsor of terrorism. He accused it of launching attacks against Saudi Arabia, noting that Shiites in Iraq, Lebanon and Iran are protesting against the Iranian regime’s policies.
On Yemen, Jubeir said his country did not start the war, laying blame instead on the Iran-backed Houthi militias that have “committed crimes against the Yemeni people, launched 300 missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia, which has presented 14 billion dollars to develop this brotherly nation.”
On relations with Turkey, the minister said the ties still stand, adding, however, that Riyadh has reservations over Ankara’s meddling in the region.
