• Cabinet renewed Kingdom’s demand to give priority to national interests of Niger
• Affirmed Saudi stance on need for dialogue and respect between peoples and cultures

Arab News

JEDDAH: The Saudi cabinet on Tuesday said it rejected last week’s coup against Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum last week.

The cabinet renewed the Kingdom’s demand to give priority to the national interests of Niger, to stop the military escalation.

The African Union, the UN, the EU and other powers have condemned the junta’s overthrow of elected President Mohamed Bazoum — the seventh military takeover in less than three years in West and Central Africa.

During the meeting, chaired by King Salman, the cabinet reviewed the outcome of the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which discussed the repeated attacks on copies of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden and Denmark.

It affirmed the Kingdom’s stance on the need for dialogue and respect between peoples and cultures, while rejecting anything that spreads hatred and extremism. It called on the international community to promote these principles.

The cabinet also reviewed recent talks between the Kingdom and a number of countries over the past days, which were aimed at strengthening relations and partnerships.

It expressed satisfaction with results achieved by ongoing economic and financial reforms in the Kingdom, which it said were promoting comprehensive growth in Saudi Arabia and strengthening its economy.