Biden says to make US-Saudi relations 'as strong and transparent as possible'

WASHINGTON/RIYADH - US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he would work to make US-Saudi relations "as strong and transparent as possible".

Biden made the remarks in the first phone conversation with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud since Biden's inauguration.

The White House said in a statement that the two leaders discussed longstanding partnership and regional security, "including the renewed diplomatic efforts led by the United Nations and the United States" to end the war in Yemen.

The Saudi king said his country was keen to reach a comprehensive political solution in Yemen and to achieve security and development for the Yemeni people.

In their conversation, Biden affirmed that he "would work to make the bilateral relationship as strong and transparent as possible".

In his first foreign policy speech in early February, Biden announced an end to US support for Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen, including relevant arms sales.

The White House also noted Washington would return to a "counterpart-to-counterpart" pattern in engaging with Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, received a call from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin last week.