Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.

The Council of Ministers has praised the international community for backing the military action in Yemen, saying it would send a message to the Houthis that their aggression would not be tolerated.

Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi said Monday’s Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, welcomed the talks the king held with various world leaders over the past week on regional issues including Yemen.

These included US President Barack Obama, Xi Jinping of China, Francoise Hollande of France and David Cameron of the UK. King Salman also met with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Sudan President Omar Bashir, Prime Minister of the German state of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, and the envoy of the Middle East Peace Quartet, Tony Blair.

Al-Toraifi said they had welcomed Resolution 2216 on Yemen, which was adopted by the UN Security Council by a majority of 14 votes. It underlined the will of the international community to stand by the Yemeni people and sent a “strong message” to the Houthi rebels that they should stop their aggression against fellow citizens.

The UN decision reaffirms the international community’s support for the decision taken by Saudi Arabia and its allies to launch Operation Decisive Storm following the call for help from the country’s legitimate President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, said Al-Toraifi.

The Cabinet also thanked the king for allocating $274 million for humanitarian relief in Yemen through the UN to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

In domestic affairs, the Cabinet ministers noted the efforts of the Ministry of Education for organizing the sixth International Conference and Exhibition for Higher Education, with the participation of 437 local and international universities, he said.

Al-Toraifi said the Cabinet also noted Saudi Arabia’s “outstanding achievement” in gaining a ranking of 17 on the list of the world’s top-performing trading nations. The Kingdom’s exports rose by 7 percent and its imports by 17 percent last year, according to the World Trade Organization’s report on global trade trends.

The Cabinet approved the final account of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities for the fiscal year 2014/2015. It approved a memorandum of understanding on judicial relations between the Ministry of Justice in Saudi Arabia and its counterpart in the United Kingdom, which was signed in Riyadh last year.

The two parties have agreed to promote and expand judicial cooperation, including research, training and exchange of information on the functioning of such systems. They will also hold seminars and lectures to exchange experiences, said Al-Toraifi.

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