Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Friday.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Friday the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was crucial to defeat ISIS.

Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Jubeir said Assad was responsible for the creation of ISIS by turning Syria into a “fertile ground” for its militants, in which the foreign minister described them as “psychopaths.”

He called Assad the “single most effective magnet for extremists and terrorists in the region” and said his removal was crucial for restoring stability.

“That’s our objective and we will achieve it,” he said. “Unless and until there is a change in Syria, Daesh will not be defeated in Syria, period,” he added, using the Arab name for ISIS.

Jubeir made the remarks after holding a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Serge Lavrov.

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