Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah stopped in Cairo late on Friday to meet with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to show his strong support through a symbolic but brief visit.
The 90-year-old monarch, on his way home from Morocco, did not leave his plane, which was on the ground at Cairo airport for just more than an hour. Sisi and his delegation were on board for just more than 30 minutes.
Abdullah’s advanced age and frail health mean he rarely travels on state business, so even the short visit was a clear sign of how he has positioned himself as al-Sisi’s leading Arab ally.
Photo: Reuters
Egypt’s official news agency reported that the talks covered the importance of the two nations working together to address regional challenges, a sign of how the Gulf monarchy sees Cairo as a crucial partner against the rapid rise of Islamism.
Through phone calls to al-Sisi, donations of cash and oil products, supportive statements and his visit to Cairo, Abdullah has made clear his approval of former army chief Sisi as president.
Abdullah is the first foreign leader to visit al-Sisi since he took office less than two weeks ago to a cooler reception from Western governments concerned by a crackdown on dissent.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, and its wealthy Gulf Arab partners Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, have given more than US$20 billion to help Egypt since Sisi ousted Islamist Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July last year, and are likely to pledge more.
Analysts say Saudi Arabia wants Egypt to be a bulwark against Islamism as conflicts rage in Iraq and Syria that could alter regional alliances and national borders.
Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported that the talks covered Iraq, Syria, and Libya, and “the importance of coordination and joint action between the two countries to meet the challenges prevailing in the region.”
Al-Sisi has not spoken publicly about the Iraq crisis since it erupted days after his inauguration.
Analysts said Abdullah’s trip indicated Riyadh had put Egypt at the heart of a regional policy aimed at curbing Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia’s Shiite rival Iran.
No further announcements about financial support immediately emerged from the meeting. al-Sisi thanked the king for his support to date support and for his initiative in organizing a donor conference to “provide necessary support in the coming period,” MENA reported.
The conference was announced by Abdullah 15 minutes after al-Sisi was declared president. A date has not yet been set.
The Egyptian delegation included Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahleb and the Egyptian defense and finance ministers.
Abdullah was accompanied by the Saudi ministers of foreign affairs and finance as well as security officials and former Saudi a intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, al-Arabiya television reported.
Al-Sisi served as defence attache in Riyadh during former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s rule before eventually rising to head up military intelligence, his last job under Mubarak.
Abdullah and al-Sisi have spoken on the phone since Sisi’s ouster of Mursi, but it is unclear if they had met before Friday.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
RSS