WASHINGTON: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Sunday thanked President Barack Obama and expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to him and the accompanying delegation during his US visit.

As the king ended his US visit following the invitation of President Barack Obama, he was seen off at Andrews Air Base Airport by White House Chief of Protocol Peter A. Selfridge, a representative from Andrews Air Base and a number of US officials.

In his cable of thanks to Obama, King Salman said: “I am pleased upon my departure from your friendly country after the end of my official visit to convey to Your Excellency my thanks and gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to me and the accompanying delegation.

“Mr. President: I would like once again to commend the historical and strategic relations between our two countries, which were founded during the historic meeting between King Abdul Aziz (May Allah bestow mercy upon his soul) and late US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, which have witnessed since that meeting further development in all fields.”

The king further said: “I assure Your Excellency that the talks that we have held, particularly with regard to the new strategic partnership of the 21st century between our two countries, will deepen and strengthen these relations and enhance the bonds of mutual cooperation in the interest of our two countries and their friendly peoples, wishing Your Excellency constant good health and happiness, and the friendly people of the United States of America steady progress and prosperity.” Earlier in the day, King Salman received the Cultural Attaché at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, Mohammed Al-Issa, accompanied by a group of outstanding Saudi students from a number of American universities.

The king expressed his pride at the excellence of students in the educational aspects and their keenness on the development of their knowledge, stressing that they should best represent the Kingdom during their presence in the US, which is linked with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a long-standing and developed friendship.

Also in the context of his visit to the US, the king received chief editors of local newspapers, academics, writers, thinkers and intellectuals at his residence in Washington.

Later, King Salman received veteran American employees of Saudi Aramco, who came to greet him. The King listened to the stories narrated by them about the period of their work and looked at a number of historical photographs from that period.