Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Saturday he was confident that Democrat Joe Biden's incoming US administration would pursue policies that help regional stability and that any discussions with it would lead to strong cooperation.
"I'm confident that a Biden administration would continue to pursue policies that are in the interest of regional stability," Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told Reuters in a virtual interview on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit, which his country is hosting.
"Any discussions we will have with the future administration will lead to strong cooperation."
Prince Faisal emphasized the 75-year history of "strong defense cooperation" between the two countries and said he expected it to continue.
He said it would be "entirely appropriate" for the United States to designate the Iran-aligned Houthi militias in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization.
"We all know much of their weapons and a significant part of their ideology comes from Iran. So they are certainly a foreign-backed terrorist organization," he said.
Washington sees the group as an extension of Iranian influence in the region. Trump's administration has been threatening to blacklist the group, sources have told Reuters, as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Iran denies that it gives financial and military support to the Houthis.
Prince Faisal also said the Kingdom enjoyed "good, amicable" relations with Turkey, which has been at odds with the kingdom over its meddling in Arab affairs and support of the Muslim Brotherhood organization.
Commenting on the rift among Gulf countries with Qatar, Prince Faisal said Riyadh was seeking a way to end a dispute with Qatar. The dispute dates from 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott on Qatar, severing diplomatic and economic ties and accusing it of supporting and financing terrorism.
