Cairo: Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on Friday night made his first visit to Egypt since a 2011 revolt forced long-time president Hosni Mubarak out of power. Egypt's newly-elected President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi boarded the Saudi monarch's plane at the Cairo airport where they held talks that focused on bilateral ties and the regional scene, according to state media.
Egyptian television aired footage of Al Sissi and senior Egyptian officials welcoming the Saudi leader inside the plane ahead of the 45-minute talks. The brief visit came almost two weeks after Al Sissi was inaugurated and the Saudi king launched a call for convening a donor conference to assist the Egyptian economy battered by more than three years of political turbulence.
Insurgency in Iraq and Syria's four-year conflict were also at the centre of Abdullah-Al Sissi talks, Egyptian sources said.
Egyptian presidency welcomed King Abdullah's visit, voicing appreciation for what it termed as "the stands of His Majesty and those of the Kingdom supporting the will of Egypt and its people." Political experts also highlighted the significance of the visit.
"This visit is greatly important especially as Saudi Arabia realizes well the challenges facing Egypt and is sincerely helping it to tackle them," said Mohammad Idriss, an expert at the Cairo-based Al Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies. "Saudi Arabia is also aware of the regional and international weight of Egypt. The restoration of Egypt's leading role is of benefit to Saudi Arabia."
Al Sissi has vowed to stem turmoil and economic deterioration that have gripped Egypt since Mubarak's removal. King Abdullah's Cairo stopover was made on his way to Saudi Arabia from Morocco. He was accompanied by senior Saudi officials, including Foreign Minister Saudi Al Faisal, Secretary-General of the National Security Council Bindr Bin Sultan and Finance Minister Ebrahim Al Assaf.
