FM: Egypt, Saudi Arabia are sources of security in region

CAIRO – 4 March 2018: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry stressed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman’s meeting with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi underlines the ongoing coordination and consultation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

In his statements to Saudi newspaper Al Watan on Saturday, Shoukry said that bin Salman’s visit to Egypt aims to promote the bilateral relations between the two states and serves the Arab common interest as it will tackle the recent political developments in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Libya.

Shoukry further remarked that Saudi Arabia and Egypt seek to end the crisis and achieve stability in Yemen, criticizing the Houthi rebels for putting their interests before Yemen's interests, calling upon the international community to shoulder its responsibility toward the aggressive practices in Yemen, and stressing that Egypt will not accept any alternatives to the comprehensive political solution in Yemen in accordance with the U.N. resolutions.

He added that the visit focuses on Egypt and Saudi Arabia's target to combat terrorism and extremism and to advance the Arab solidarity before convening the Arab summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In this regard, Shoukry referred that Egypt has participated in the Alliance to Support Legitimacy to protect the Arab national security and Yemen’s legitimate government, confirming that Egypt will not allow any attempts to threat Saudi Arabia’s security as Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the sources of security in the region.

Shoukry concluded that Saudi Crown Prince’s visit will contribute in deepening the Egyptian-Saudi relations, stressing Egypt’s firm support for the stability and sovereignty of the Arab countries as well as its refusal to any intervention that aims to destabilize the Arab countries.

Saudi Crown Prince arrived in Cairo on Sunday in his first official foreign trip since being inaugurated as a Crown Prince to the Saudi Kingdom in June 2017. President Sisi received the Crown Prince in Cairo for a three-day visit.

In December, Sisi received a phone call from Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman, where they discussed bilateral ties and mutual cooperation between both states.

Sisi and bin Salman met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016, following a historic visit to Cairo by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz in April. Both leaders discussed stepping up cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia across all fields, and continued consultation and coordination on various regional and international issues to enhance joint Arab action.

The Crown Prince’s second foreign trip will be paid to the United Kingdom on March 7 to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, prior to his visit to the United States on March 19 to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The arrangement of the first three foreign trips by the Saudi Crown Prince reflects the priorities of the Saudi foreign diplomacy in the next phase. Bin Salman is scheduled to meet with Sisi to discuss issues of mutual interest, the latest developments in the Arab region and the enhancement of bilateral relations in different fields.