Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Foreign Minister, confirmed that bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Denmark are distinguished and historical, noting that some 100 Danish companies are doing business in Saudi Arabia, among them Henen Larson which has drawn the architectural design of the foreign ministry in Riyadh, an indication of the firmness of relations between the two countries. During the joint press conference he held with Christian Jensen, the Foreign Minister of Denmark, at the headquarters of the ministry in Riyadh today, Al-Jubeir cast light on the talks the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had with Denmark's Crown Prince Fredric Henrico Andrea in the attendance of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, as well as his own meeting with his Danish counterpart, during which the developments in the region, particularly the situations in Syria, Iraq and Iran as well as Yemen and the confrontation of terrorism were discussed. He said trade exchanges between the two kingdoms is balanced with a total of Euro 1.5 billion annually, noting that the two sides are seeking to further develop them and intensify them to best serve their two peoples. He thanked his Danish counterpart for visiting the Kingdom to exchange talks and constructive ideas. For his part, the Danish foreign minister expressed pleasure to have met the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, noting that the delegation has included Danish business representatives, indicating the depth of commercial cooperation between Saudi and Danish companies throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's regions where they are closely working to achieve development and investment between the two countries. He said he discussed with Al-Jubeir important security issues in the region, citing the political circumstances and difficulties in Yemen and Iraq and discussed ways of drying out the sources of money to all kinds of terrorism and discussed ways to reach reconciliation among Syrian opposition factions and groups to adopt a solution based on Geneva. He pointed out to Saudi Arabia's role and status in keeping stability, confirming the importance of relations and its wide extent between the two countries due to the relation of Denmark with the European Union and its relations with Saudi Arabia. Responding to a question regarding the issues highlighted by the Danish Foreign Minister on human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, Al-Jubeir said that "The relations between our two countries are strong and straightforward. There are two things we do not compromise in Saudi Arabia: Our faith and Our security. The judicial system in Saudi Arabia is based on our faith. Therefore, the judicial system is fair and allows for self-defense. Our judgments are announced and subject to revision in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Therefore, no one should have doubts about the fairness of the Saudi judicial system." Al-Jubeir pointed out that the meeting addressed a number of political and security issues as well as the crisis in Syria, saying we talked about the importance of the departure of Al-Assad so that we can defeat and eliminate Daash. We talked about the cease-fire agreement to be applied in Syria, provided that this agreement shall not be violated and be adhered to by all parties. The talks were very positive. Whether the ground intervention in Syria will be probable if the violations of the truce continued, Al-Jubeir said that "there are violations of the truce by Russian planes and the Syrian regime's planes" and there is consultation on the issue with countries of the International Syria Support Group with our belief that abiding by the truce is an important indicator of the Syrian regime's seriousness to reach a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis including the set-up of a transitional authority according to the Geneva-1 Declaration and the transfer of power from Bashar to this council and a new future for Syria where there is no place for Bashar al-Assad. Al-Jubeir said, "Russia says that these operations are targeting Daesh and Al-Nusrah Front, and this issue has been agreed upon by the International Syria Support Group, but if these operations did not target Daash and Al-Nusrah and targeted moderate Syrian opposition, there would be disagreement over this subject. He pointed out that the UN envoy is currently contacting the Russians and the regime on this issue to reach an understanding that leads to cessation of the military operations against the moderate Syrian opposition and keeps the focus on Daash and Al-Nusrah. He said that the picture will be clearer in the coming days about whether the regime and Russia are serious about the cease-fire process or not, pointing out that the kingdom is currently consulting with other countries to know the intentions of the Syrian regime and Russia. He added that if the truce continues and we are able to deliver humanitarian aid to all regions in Syria, we will help save a large number of the Syrian people, but if the truce did not continue, there would be other options including the U.S. Secretary of State's statement on the existence of a plan (b) if it turns out that the Syrian regime and its allies are not serious. Then, the other option can be considered and focus will be on it, he said. Al-Jubair said that "the solution includes Syria without Bashar al-Assad. There is no disagreement on this, and there is no compromise on this, he said. Bashar al-Assad must leave power, either peacefully - which is better and faster - or through military means. It's up to him, but the logic is clear and these options are before him." Regarding the position of the kingdom on the ground intervention, Al-Jubair said, "I want to clarify the position of the kingdom which is if the US-led international coalition against Daash decided to send ground troops to Syria, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be ready to contribute by sending special forces within this coalition." He added, "Any move will be part of the United States-led international coalition of which the kingdom is among the founding countries and consultations are ongoing and the decision has not been taken yet." In turn, Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Jensen expressed thanks for the kingdom's good reception and hospitality. The minister reiterated Danish keenness on strengthening relations with the kingdom in various fields especially commerce and expanding trade between the two countries.
