Germany: Assad must be removed soon to save Syrian infrastructure - Saudi FM al-Jubeir

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier held a joint press conference with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Adel al-Jubeir in Berlin, Monday, after the two diplomats held a meeting to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria, amongst other things. "We have talked about the Syrian situation and finding a political solution for the future of Syria without Bashar al-Assad in the picture," the Saudi foreign minister stated, adding that "the faster Bashar al-Assad leaves, the more of the infrastructure of Syria we can save."

Suggesting ways to remove Syrian President Assad, al-Jubeir stated that such action would be "based on the Geneva I Conference on Syria." The Saudi diplomat went on to state that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to help the Syrian people and Syria transit to a better phase," and stressed that "there is a dire need to preserve the governmental and military institutions and structures to avoid a chaotic breakdown of the Syrian state."

Following his visit to Germany, al-Jubeir will head to Moscow to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday. The diplomats are expected to discuss the Syrian conflict, the Islamic State and global energy markets, amongst other things.