Saudi Arabia stressed on Tuesday the depth of ties between it and the United States and its keenness on bolstering them, reported the Saudi Press Agency. During a meeting in Riyadh chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi cabinet stated that the Kingdom looked forward to the visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, to the US. It was anticipating his meetings with President Donald Trump and other American officials. Prince Mohammed had embarked on an 18-day trip to the US on Monday where he will meet Trump on Tuesday. Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz then briefed the gatherers about his trips to Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, where he held talks with senior officials on bilateral ties and ways to strengthen them. They also tackled the latest international developments and the Kingdom’s stances on them. The cabinet then reviewed the latest developments on the Arab, regional and international scenes. In this regard, it welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s recent statement on Yemen, which included a strong condemnation of the Iran-backed Houthi militias for firing ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia. It also hailed the statement for in turn praising the humanitarian operations plan on Yemen, which was announced by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition earlier this year. The statement, said the cabinet, reflects the Security Council’s commitment to reaching a political solution in Yemen based on the Gulf initiative, national dialogue and relevant Council resolutions. On Syria, the Kingdom welcomed the efforts of the independent international investigation committee that is compiling a report on the serious violations of International Humanitarian Law in the war-torn country. The cabinet renewed Riyadh’s firm support for international efforts that are aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis according to the Geneva I declaration and Security Council resolution 2254 and in a manner that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people and preserves the territorial integrity of their country. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia congratulated Vladimir Putin on his election as president of Russia for a fourth term. It also congratulated Xi Jinping on his re-election as president of China. The Saudi government then licensed First Abu Dhabi Bank to open three branches in the Kingdom.