Saudi Arabia's stance on Iran is "very clear" and theKingdom does not have a back channel with the country, Minister of State forForeign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said, Al-Arabiya English reported onWednesday.
"There is no back channel with Iran, because ourposition with regards to Iran is very clear. I just said it to you publicly.What we want is Iran to abide by the rules … we want Iran to respectinternational law, we want Iran to respect the sovereignty of other countries,"Al-Jubeir said.
The minister's comments came during a joint press conferencewith the Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide after theyheld a meeting to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues, includingthe Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
Al-Jubeir also said that he had spoken to Norway's foreignminister about the new investment opportunities that are becoming readilyavailable in the Kingdom, as the country continues to implement its Vision 2030reform plan.
Vision 2030 is a set of reforms, introduced by CrownPrince Muhammed Bin Salman, that aim to diversify and improve Saudi Arabia'seconomy.
"We are going to open up new areas for investments andreduce our reliance on oil. And [we will] open areas such as tourism, thecreation of entertainment," Al-Jubeir said.
"We seek to empower women and the youth, we seek to instillcultural innovation and technology, tolerance, and moderation, so that thepopulation, 70 percent of them under the age of 30, should have the ability torealize their hopes, dreams, and ambitions."
