Saudi Arabia’s King Salman said his government was striving to maintain Syria as a unified nation inclusive of all sects, according to the Twitter account of the Saudi Shura Council on Wednesday.

The king also blamed the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the rise of militant groups in the region, saying terrorist organisations would not find fertile ground without the Syrian government’s policies, the council said.

King Salman officially inaugurated a new session for the consultative body earlier on Wednesday.