“We look forward to working with the Trump administration on all issues in the region,” Jubeir said.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday he was optimistic about overcoming “the many challenges” in the Middle East and looked forward to working with the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Asked if he was concerned that the Trump administration was backing away from a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jubeir said: “We look forward to working with the Trump administration on all issues in the region.” “We are very, very optimistic about our ability to overcome the many challenges we face in the region,” he added.

Jubeir made the comments on Thursday at the top of a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is on his first overseas trip as America’s top diplomat. Jubeir said Saudi Arabia was looking forward to working with the US on numerous issues.

Tillerson made no substantive remarks in the presence of reporters, limiting his comments to polite chatter about his past business travel experience as CEO of Exxon Mobil.