CAIRO - Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, met on Monday Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, and Coptic Pope Tawadros II on the second day of his visit to Egypt. During the meeting with el-Tayeb, the Crown Prince affirmed the key role of Al-Azhar in confronting the dangers facing the Arab and Islamic world. The Crown Prince expressed his country’s appreciation for Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and its distinguished scholars, stressing his personal pride in Al-Azhar and its grand imam in their efforts as one of the most important pillars of Islamic thought in the Arab world. He also lauded the role played by Al-Azhar in spreading a culture of moderation, coexistence and peace as well as in combating extremist thought. Also on Monday, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman met Coptic Pope Tawadros II at the St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo. They reviewed the fraternal relations between the Kingdom and Egypt. The Crown Prince and the Pope emphasized the significant role various religions and cultures have to play in strengthening tolerance, eschewing violence, extremism and terrorism, and achieving security and safety of the peoples in the region and the world as a whole. The Crown Prince also hailed the role of Coptic Christians in maintaining the stability of Egypt and standing by the issues of the Arab and the Islamic world. — SG/SPA