Saudi Gazette report

CAIRO – Winding up the three-day official visit to Egypt, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, left for Britain on Tuesday evening.

At Cairo International Airport, he was seen off by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and other high ranking Egyptian officials.

In a joint statement, issued at the end of the state visit of the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia and Egypt reiterated their determination to confront the danger of extremism and terrorism and threats against security and peace in the region and around the world.

The two sides stressed the need to uproot terrorism and defeat all terrorist organizations. They affirmed their resolve to confront all those who support terrorism either through funding or provision of safe shelters and media platforms.

On its part, the Kingdom vowed its full support for the successful efforts of the Egyptian government to eradicate terrorism within the context of the ‘Sinai 2018 Operation’, and paid tribute to the great sacrifices made by Egyptian policemen and armed forces in this respect.

The two sides stressed the importance of preserving the Arab national security and maintaining the territorial integrity and safety of the Arab countries. They affirmed that strengthening Egyptian-Saudi cooperation represents a fundamental pillar for maintaining the Arab national security and confronting the foreign interferences in the internal affairs of the Arab countries, which led to inciting tensions, conflicts and terrorist activities in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Iraq.

The Kingdom and Egypt affirmed their categorical rejection of the Iranian interferences in the internal affairs of the Arab countries. The two sides reiterated that the security of the Arab region cannot be achieved without stopping all attempts to intervene in the affairs of the Arab states from any regional party in addition to commitment of all neighboring countries to the principles of good neighborliness, common interests and non-interference.

On its part, Egypt condemned the launching of ballistic missiles targeting Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists, stressing its full solidarity with the Kingdom in the face of any threat against its security.

The two sides stressed the importance of preserving Yemen’s unity, achieving its security and stability, supporting its legitimate government, and finding a peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis.

On Libya, the two countries affirmed their support for the comprehensive political process led by the United Nations to resolve the crisis, while stressing that the Libyan political agreement remains the best framework for dealing with the Libyan crisis. In this respect, Saudi Arabia appreciated the efforts exerted by Egypt to host the meetings of the Libyan parties, which resulted in a comprehensive vision to solve the crisis, support Libyan state institutions and combat terrorism.

The two sides affirmed their full support for all legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the right to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They also stressed the importance of supporting the political process to end the Syrian crisis in order to preserve the unity of the Syrian territory and achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people in accordance with the Geneva 1 Declaration and Security Council resolution No. 2254.

In the statement, the Crown Prince thanked President El-Sisi and the Egyptian government and people for their warm welcome and generous hospitality offered to him and the accompanying delegation during his visit.