Following a telephone conversation between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and French President Francois Hollande on Friday, the French Embassy in Riyadh reiterated its strong support for Operation Decisive Storm led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to flush out the Houthi militants from Yemen.

King Salman thanked President Hollande for the clear and explicit support provided by France.

During the telephone conversation, in response to King Salman’s words of appreciation, President Hollande said his country supports the legitimate authorities in Yemen and pledged to fight against the rebels with the assistance of the Kingdom.

The statement made available to Arab News by the French Embassy said the phone call had further strengthened relations between Saudi Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, who exchanged views and focused on cooperation in the fields of intelligence and equipment between the two forces.

Both parties welcomed the quality of their strategic partnership that reflects the deep friendship between Saudi Arabia and France, the statement added.

In a previous statement before the ‘Decisive Storm’ began, the French Embassy had said, “France reiterates its support to the government of Yemen and its President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.”

“France also strongly condemns acts of destabilization by the Houthi rebellion and calls on all those … to return to the political process. Faced with this alarming situation, France stands by its partners in the region to restore stability and unity of Yemen,” according to the statement.

Last week, French Ambassador Bertrand Besancenot said at a reception held at his residence that relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France are growing from strength to strength.

Regarding French investments in the Kingdom, Besancenot said France is the third greatest investment partner with $15 billion investment in the Kingdom.

There are 80 French companies which have employed around 27,000 Saudis in the Kingdom.

These French companies are actively involved in energy, transport, railway and metro, training and other projects.