“Let's not forget: This all began when you had eight- and nine-year-old children writing graffiti on walls. Their parents were told: "You will never see them again. If you want to have children, go to your wife and make new ones." [Bashar] Assad's people rebelled. He crushed them brutally. But his military could not protect him. So he asked the Iranians to come in and help.” PeopleIfsWantWritingYearsChildrenHelpingParentForgetWifeMilitaryWallProtectEightNineCrushedNine YearsGraffitiAssad Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“Other than our disagreement over Syria, I would say our relationship with Russia is very good and we are seeking to broaden and deepen it. Twenty million Russians are Muslims. Like Russia, we have an interest in fighting radicalism and extremism. We both have an interest in stable energy markets. Even the disagreement over Syria is more of a tactical one than a strategic one. We both want a unified Syria that is stable in which all Syrians enjoy equal rights.” WantFightingEnergyEnjoyInterestMillionsRightsEqualTwentiesVery GoodSeekingRussiaStableOur RelationshipSyriaEqual RightsStrategicExtremismDisagreementUnifiedTacticalRadicalism Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“We want to have good ties with the Iranians, but if they want good ties with us, then I tell them: Don't keep attacking us as you have done for the last years.” IfsWantYearsDoneLastsTiesLast YearAttackingAttacking Us Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“As long as Iran's aggressive policies continue, it's going to be bad for the region. Iran has to decide whether it wants a revolution or a nation-state.” WantLongStatesNationsPolicyRevolutionRegionsIranAggressive Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“Daesh is attacking us. Their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, wants to destroy the Saudi state. These people are criminals. They're psychopaths.” PeopleWantStatesLeaderCriminalsAlsAttackingSaudisPsychopathAttacking Us Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“It seems people don't read or listen. Our scholars and our media have been very outspoken. We were the first country in the world to hold a national public awareness campaign against extremism and terrorism. Why would we not want to fight an ideology whose objective is to kill us?” PeopleWorldWantFirstsHas BeensCountrySeemsFightingAwarenessMediaTerrorismCampaignsObjectivesIdeologyScholarExtremismOutspoken Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“What we want is stability and security so we can focus on our own development. But we have these problems in our region, and nobody has been able to resolve them. The whole world was saying that the countries of the regions should step up and resolve their problems, so we stepped up.” WorldWantShouldHas BeensCountryWholeProblemAbleStepsFocusSecurityDevelopmentWhole WorldRegionsResolveStabilityStep Up Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“People are saying, "Oh my God, Saudi Arabia has changed." It's a contradiction. Do you want us to lead, or do you want us to play a supporting role?” PeopleWantPlayRolesChangedContradictionWant UArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisSupporting Roles Author:Adel al-Jubeir
“We can't do both. If you want us to lead, don't criticize us. And if you want us to play a supporting role, then tell us who is going to lead.” IfsWantPlayRolesCriticizeWant USupporting Roles Author:Adel al-Jubeir
