(WASHINGTON, DC) – The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz reinforced today that Saudi Arabia remains fully committed to acting vigorously to ensure its security and the security of the region while moving forward on the Kingdom’s economic development and reforms.

In his annual address to the Consultative Council, King Salman presented an optimistic outlook for the nation’s foreign and domestic policies. He said that Saudi Arabia has played an active and constructive role in the region and in important global undertakings with the international community is proceeding with “firm steps” to maintain its active role in the region and around the world.

Among the core foreign policy priorities, King Salman vowed to continue cooperating with the international community in combatting the extremism that threatens its borders and the region at large. Political solutions to international crises can safeguard values of tolerance and coexistence, paving the way for nations to ensure peace and achieve development, King Salman said.

King Salman pledged to uphold Yemen’s right to security. Yemen, he said, cannot be the “corridor” for countries trying to undermine the security of the Kingdom, nor can Saudi Arabia allow other nations to undermine its sovereignty and security.

“We in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believe that the security of our dear neighbor Yemen is the security of the Kingdom, and will not accept any interference in its internal affairs,” he stated.

The region’s stability directly impacts the Kingdom’s economic development, and ensuring both remains fundamental, King Salman stressed. “Our domestic policy is based on pillars of maintaining security, stability and prosperity to achieve the development that meets the needs of the present and preserves the right of future generations.”

King Salman noted that economic reforms implemented to date have focused on diversifying the nation’s economy and re-distributing resources to expand job opportunities. Saudi Arabia has “come out of [the past three years] with a strong economy and continuous growth; we have set out our reforms today to look forward to the future,” he noted. The strength of these structural reforms fall under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation plan.

“I am optimistic about a better tomorrow,” King Salman said. “These conditions that we are now experiencing are not more difficult than their previous ones. We will overpass them to a better and brilliant future.”