RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — In his first meeting with Saudi Arabia’s ruling monarch since becoming secretary of state, John Kerry sought to reassure the king on Monday that the Obama administration and the Saudis shared common objectives on Syria, Iran and Egypt.

But the meeting, which lasted more than two hours at the opulent palace of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, was followed by a cordial but blunt statement from the Saudi side signaling that differences remained.

“A true relationship between friends is based on sincerity, candor and frankness,” Prince Saud al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, said in opening remarks at a news conference with Mr. Kerry after the meeting. “It’s only natural that our policies and views might see agreements in some areas and disagreements in others.”

There are two kinds of differences: differences in objectives and differences in tactics, Prince Saud said later in response to a question. “Some of the differences are in objectives, very few,” he added. “Most of the differences are in tactics.”