Riyadh 05 Shaban 1443 AH corresponding to 08 March 2022:

Today, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, arrived in Riyadh.

He was received at King Khalid International Airport by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, who welcomed His Excellency to his second country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Also in the reception were His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region, Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers for Shura Council Affairs Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Saeed (Accompanying Minister), Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Egypt Osama Naqli and Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt The Kingdom has Ahmed Farouk.

As soon as the president of Egypt got off the plane, the Saudi hawks gave an air show during which the colors of the Egyptian flag were painted to welcome President Sisi's arrival in the Kingdom.

After a break in the ceremonial hall at the airport, His Highness the Crown Prince, the President of Egypt, was accompanied in an official procession to the Royal Court.

He was accompanied by the Egyptian President, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Intelligence Chief Major General Abbas Kamel, Presidential Chief of Staff Major General Ahmed Mohamed Ali, Director of the President's Office Major General Mohsen Ali, and Chief of the Republican Guard Major General Mustafa Shawkat.

Saudi-Egyptian relations

The relationship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt is characterized by historical depth, strategic cooperation and continuous coordination towards issues and issues of concern to the two countries on the regional and international arenas. To support and enhance security and stability in the region and the world, given the high position and geographical location that the two countries enjoy, which has strengthened their weight at the Arab, Islamic and international levels.

Saudi-Egyptian relations have been built on solid foundations since the first historical meeting between King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and King Farouk of Egypt - may God have mercy on them - in 1364 AH corresponding to 1945 AD to be the cornerstone of a strong and strategic relationship, which increases in strength and solidity year after year, all the way to the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques The two honorable King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect him - and His Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to mark the bright future between the two countries.

In 1945 AD, King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman - may God have mercy on him - agreed to the “Alexandria Protocol” and announced the accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Arab League, and on October 27, 1955 AD, a joint defense agreement was signed between the two countries, and the Kingdom’s delegation was headed in its signing in Cairo, King Faisal bin Abdulaziz - May God have mercy on him-.

During the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956 AD, the Kingdom stood with all its weight on the side of Egypt in all political, economic and military fields.

The relations between the two countries witness a number of exchanged military visits between leaders and military officials in both countries on a regular basis. To exchange views, experiences, and military, security and intelligence information of interest to both countries.

On March 16, 1987 AD, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect him - visited the Arab Republic of Egypt when he was governor of the Riyadh region. For the opening of the Kingdom exhibition between yesterday and today in Cairo.

After assuming the reins of power, may God protect him, the official meetings between the two leaderships continued. On Jumada Al-Awwal 10, 1436 AH, he held a session of official talks with His Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, during which aspects of bilateral cooperation were reviewed for the interests of the two brotherly countries and peoples. .

The bilateral relations between the Kingdom and Egypt, with the support and guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and their brother, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, have risen to the level of strategic partnership. Through the establishment of the Saudi-Egyptian Coordination Council, and the conclusion of the governments of the two countries about 70 agreements, "protocols" and memoranda of understanding between their governmental institutions.

The Kingdom and Egypt enjoy weight, strength and influence at the Arab, Islamic and international levels, which enhances the level and keenness of the two countries for coordination and continuous political consultation between them to discuss all regional and international issues in the face of common challenges, and to serve the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations, and international security and peace.

Egypt is one of the first countries to receive Saudi students on scholarships abroad, as King Abdulaziz - may God have mercy on him - ordered in 1927 to send the first class of study to Egypt, and that batch included 14 students, and the statistics of the Ministry of Education estimate the number of Saudi students in Egypt currently at 2220 students receiving Teaching them in various disciplines in Egyptian universities, colleges and institutes.

In the year 2020, King Salman International University was established, and it is one of the outputs of the program of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for the development of the Sinai Peninsula. As one of the smart fourth generation universities, it aims to provide a unique university experience in which learning blends using the latest technologies, applied expertise, theoretical knowledge, community service, and environmental development.

In the economic sphere, the Kingdom and Egypt have growing commercial relations, as the volume of trade exchange between the two countries during the past six years (2016 - 2021) amounted to 179 billion riyals (47.7 billion dollars), and the volume of Saudi non-oil exports to Egypt increased by 6.9% during the year 2021 AD. Recording 7.2 billion riyals ($1.9 billion).

Egypt enjoys a strategic geographic location, a low-cost workforce, and a population of 102.33 million people in the year 2020 AD, which makes it a strategic market in the region. It also has high tourism potential, making it an attractive market for investments in the fields of tourism, electricity, renewable energy, and construction. and real estate.

The Saudi and Egyptian private sectors are keen to invest in the markets of the two countries because of their potentials and opportunities. There are 6,285 Saudi companies in Egypt with investments exceeding $30 billion. In contrast, there are 274 Egyptian brands, and more than 574 Egyptian companies in the Saudi markets.

The direct investments of the Saudi private sector in Egypt support the efforts of the Egyptian government to diversify the economic base, reduce unemployment, as well as improve the balance of payments, being an important source of hard currency, which calls for work to solve the challenges that hinder and hinder their investments, and quickly resolve outstanding issues in the Egyptian judiciary, and motivate them to increase those investments.

On the other hand, Saudi investments in the Egyptian market increased, and 1,035 Egyptian companies found promising opportunities to invest in the Saudi market. The capital value of companies owned or jointly owned by Egyptian investors in the Kingdom is 4.4 billion riyals, most of which are concentrated in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

It is expected that the Saudi-Egyptian electrical interconnection project, when operational, will achieve a number of common benefits for the two countries, including enhancing the reliability of the national electrical networks, supporting their stability, optimizing the generation capabilities available in them, and enabling the two countries to achieve their ambitious goals of entering renewable energy sources within the optimal mix of electricity production. And activate the commercial exchange of electric energy.

The Kingdom is one of the main countries that supported foreign reserves for a number of countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, including the Arab Republic of Egypt, as it recently provided a deposit of $3 billion to the Central Bank of Egypt, in addition to extending previous deposits of $2.3 billion.

The Kingdom contributes to strengthening Egypt’s development efforts through the support it provides through the Saudi Fund for Development, where the value of the Fund’s contributions amounted to 8,846.61 million riyals for 32 projects in vital sectors for development and financing, including the construction of roads, the expansion of power stations, desalination and water treatment, and the establishment of hospitals and residential communities. in Egypt.

The Arab Republic of Egypt is also one of the leading Arab countries in the cultural field, and the Saudi Ministry of Culture seeks to activate cultural and artistic cooperation with the Egyptian side, as the two countries cooperated in registering the Arabic calligraphy file for inclusion in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage with UNESCO, and it was registered within a month December 2021.

The Kingdom aspires to consolidate cooperation and partnership with the Egyptian side in many vital projects in the fields of communications and information technology, through human and digital capacity building, support for innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence, as well as cooperation in the field of digital awareness and digital transformation, as well as cooperation in the field of cables. Marine Communications.

The Industrial Fund has contributed to supporting and financing 17 joint projects with Egypt, with a value of more than 393 million riyals. and medical industries, among others.

About one million Saudi citizens reside in Egypt, which is the largest Saudi community abroad. Saudi tourists also prefer to spend their vacations in Egypt, as they constitute the largest percentage of Arab tourists in Egypt. On the other hand, there are about 1.7 million Egyptian residents in the Kingdom, which has strengthened social relations Between the two countries.

On the summit of the Green Middle East Initiative, which was inaugurated by His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister - may God protect him - in Riyadh, October 25, 2021 AD, the Minister of Environment of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, stressed during her participation in the summit that Egypt is a Within the countries that have a real orientation and will to achieve sustainable development based on many institutional, legislative or financing mechanisms.

Dr. Yasmine Fouad expressed Egypt's support for the Green Middle East Initiative and its willingness to advance this work through the Council of Arab Environment Ministers, which it has the honor to chair in its current session.

In the field of media, His Excellency the Minister of Commerce and Minister of Information in charge, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, visited the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on the sidelines of his visit to Egypt to participate in the meetings of the Executive Office of Information Ministers and the meeting of the Council of Arab Information Ministers in Cairo in June 2021 AD. Media leaders, as he affirmed the Kingdom’s keenness to develop its relations in the media fields with Egypt, asking the attendees to propose ideas and executive cooperation projects; With the aim of increasing communication between the media in the two brotherly countries, and focusing on the means that have the most impact on the public.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt seek to enhance cooperation in many political, economic, social, environmental and technical aspects to meet the aspirations and hopes of the two countries under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his brother, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The roots of the dramatic cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Egypt go back to the eighties of the last century, where Egyptian artists participated in dramatic works immortalized in the minds of the Saudis, the most famous of which are the series “Asabas al-Zaman” and “Escape Night” and other series that established this joint cooperation between the artists of the two countries, and it returns today through new partnerships. Between Saudi and Egyptian production institutions, in the context of the Saudi trend towards developing the local drama and cinema industry, and benefiting from Egyptian experiences in this field.