The leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia have met in the kingdom amid months of tension between the two regional powers, officials said Monday.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, held talks late Sunday that focused on ties between the two heavyweights, according to Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy.
Fahmy said in a statement that the two leaders “affirmed mutual concern for promoting common cooperation in all fields.” They also agreed to continue “coordination and consultation” on regional and international topics, he added.
The statement did not give further details. The meeting came as el-Sissi’s government is struggling to overcome an economic crises blamed on the war in Europe, but also under what critics say is mismanagement of the economy. It also came as two heavy powers have sought to mend their frayed ties with other regional powers, including Iran and Turkey.
Bin Salman, widely known in the west by the acronym MBS, received el-Sissi in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on the Red Sea. Images aired by state-run media in the two countries showed the crown prince waiting for the Egyptian president on the tarmac.
