Saudi Gazette report
ATHENS — Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan expressed the Kingdom’s concern over Iranian transgressions, especially related to its nuclear program.
“Iran’s transgressions contradict what Tehran declares of the peacefulness of its nuclear program,” the minister said while addressing a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias here on Tuesday.
In the Greek capital, Prince Faisal held wide ranging talks with Dendias. Their discussions focused mainly on the Houthi threat to the international navigation. Prince Faisal pledged the Kingdom’s support for international efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
During the talks, the foreign minister stated that he exchanged views with Dendias regarding the file of the stalled nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 countries.
“The Houthi militia poses threat to international navigation, the latest of which was the hijacking of a civilian ship in the Red Sea.” He drew attention to the danger of the Houthi militia continuing to bet on military options in Yemen.
Prince Faisal said the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia also figured high in the talks. “We discussed means of enhancing security and stability in the region and areas of economic cooperation between the two sides. The recent developments in Afghanistan also came up in the talks,” he said.
The Greek newspaper Ekathimerini said earlier that the two ministers would discuss developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf region, and review bilateral relations in the fields of defense, economy and investment, as well as cooperation within the framework of international organizations.
The newspaper added that this is the second visit of the Saudi minister to Athens in less than a year, as he had previously participated in the Friendship Forum in February 2021.
Also from the Greek side, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Saudi Arabia in October while Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos visited the Kingdom during last April.
