A man stands outside the Canadian embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on August 7, 2018. (AFP photo)
RIYADH, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia refused on Wednesday any mediation to solve the political disputes with Canada, Al Arabiya local news reported.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said that there is no room for mediation in the kingdom's escalating diplomatic dispute with Canada, and that Ottawa knew what it needed to do to "fix its big mistake."
Saudi Arabia asked on Monday the Canadian envoy to leave the country and recalled its ambassador from Canada. It put on hold all new business and investment transactions with Canada.
The kingdom also planned to shift Saudi university students studying there to other countries such as the United States and suspended all flights by its national carrier to and from Canada.
The dispute was over statements from the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian Embassy in the kingdom, urging Saudi authorities to immediately release civil society activists who have been detained.
The kingdom was still considering additional measures against Canada, said Jubeir, without further explanation.
He said that charges against the Saudi citizens who were arrested would be made public once the cases reach the courts, repeating that they had been in touch with foreign entities.