Al Arabiya, 4 March 2018 – Saudi Arabia’s crown prince landed in Egypt Sunday on the first leg of his maiden foreign tour as heir to the throne, a diplomatic charm offensive that follows his stunning rise to power.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Cairo comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Britain on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and the United States from March 19-22.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia have strengthened ties since Sisi won the elections.
Cairo supports Riyadh in its fight against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen and last year joined a Saudi-led boycott of Gulf state Qatar and agreed to returned two Red Sea islands to Saudi.
A red carpet reception was given to the Saudi Prince with President Sisi greeting him at the tarmac
Egypt has sided firmly with Saudi Arabia on key foreign policy issues, including the face-off between the kingdom and Iran.
According to Egyptian media reports, the two men plan to discuss means of enhancing inter-Arab cooperation and the latest developments in the region.
Bin Salman’s visit to Egypt will be his first since he became crown prince in June of last year.
“Prince Mohammed’s visit will be interpreted as proof of Saudi support for Sisi to remain as the president of Egypt in the coming term,” Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University, told AFP.
Talks would cover regional rival Iran, the conflict in Yemen, counter-terrorism and energy cooperation, the source said.
The crown prince is also expected to visit France in the coming weeks.
The British government said Prince Mohammed’s visit will help enhance cooperation in tackling challenges such as “terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen”.
The crown prince’s visit to the United States in late March, which a Saudi government source said could include multiple cities, would highlight the Trump administration’s efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia.
US President Donald Trump hosted Prince Mohammed in March 2017, just weeks after taking office, and he chose Saudi Arabia for his first official overseas visit as president.
Saudi Arabia has grown close to its longtime ally Washington under Trump, whose harder line on Iran and softer stance on arms sales are a welcome shift in policy for Riyadh.
