‘Saudi king not visiting Red Sea islands’

Manama: Saudi Arabia has dismissed reports that King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz will visit the islands of Tiran and Sanafir in the Red Sea to raise the Saudi flag after Egypt returned them to the kingdom.

“The reports that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques would be visiting Tiran and Sanafir are not true and lack credibility,” Ahmad Abdul Aziz Qattan, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Egypt, said.

“We urge all media to ensure greater accuracy in reporting such allegations. They can contact the communication section within the Saudi embassy in Cairo before publishing or posting their reports and ensure they do not lose their credibility, the diplomat was quoted as saying by Saudi media.

Reports had claimed that the flag-raising ceremony would be part of a string of activities by the Saudi monarch that would include laying the foundation stone for the King Salman Causeway, the planned terrestrial connection between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

King Salman in April last year announced that Saudi Arabia and Egypt had agreed to build the causeway.

“I agreed with my brother His Excellency President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi to build a bridge connecting the two countries,” King Salman had said. “This historic step to connect the two continents, Africa and Asia, is a qualitative transformation that will increase trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels.”

Al Sissi had said that the terrestrial link would be named King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Causeway.

The two countries signed several agreements during King Salman’s visit.

Tiran and Sanafir are located at the entrance of the Strait of Tiran, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.