Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi arrives here today on his first official visit to the Kingdom after becoming the country’s president.

His talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah would focus on fighting terrorism, major regional issues and expanding bilateral ties.

This is El-Sissi’s second meeting with King Abdullah.

The first meeting took place at Cairo airport on June 21 as the king visited the president on his way back to the Kingdom from Morocco.

The summits indicate the strong relations between the two major Arab League countries.
Former Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawi emphasized the significance of the president’s first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia.

“It reflects the Kingdom’s important position in the minds of Egyptian people.”

He also noted the king’s historic stand with Egypt and his call for holding an international conference to support Egyptian economy.

Egyptian diplomats said five topics would top the agenda of Saudi-Egyptian summit talks in Jeddah. They are: The fight against terrorism; the situation in Libya, Syria and Iraq; the challenges facing the Palestinian cause; prospects of holding a conference of Egypt’s friends; and ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation in various sectors.

Saudi analysts pin big hope on El-Sissi’s visit, saying it would help strengthen Arab unity and stability.

“The presidential visit shows the Egyptian leadership’s appreciation of the Kingdom’s wise stances and policies,” said Abdullah Al-Qabbae, professor of political science at King Saud University in Riyadh.

El-Sissi’s Jeddah talks would also focus on the continuing Israeli aggression on Gaza in addition to the crises in Syria, Iraq and Libya as well as matters related to fighting terror and bolstering Arab security, he said.

“Saudi Arabia and Egypt are capable of giving a new push for joint Arab action,” said Zuhair Al-Harthi, adding that the president’s visit would contribute to setting out strategies to confront the challenges facing Arab countries.

 
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