Monday, 25 May 2026
Egypt, Saudi Arabia reaffirm strategic alliance amid regional tensions
On the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meetings in Istanbul, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Migration, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, met with Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to discuss ways of strengthening the historic ties between their countries and advancing regional cooperation.
During the meeting, Dr. Abdelatty praised the strong brotherly relationship between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, underlining the importance of launching the Egyptian-Saudi Higher Coordination Council and holding the upcoming Egyptian-Saudi Investment Forum. The forum will bring together ministers and leading business executives from both sides and is seen as an essential step to enhance economic cooperation in line with the vision of both nations’ leadership to elevate bilateral relations to new heights.
Dr. Abdelatty also outlined Egypt’s vision for the Egyptian-Gulf Investment Forum, slated to take place in Cairo later this year under the umbrella of the ministerial consultative mechanism between Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The forum is expected to mark a qualitative leap in Egyptian-Gulf economic integration, particularly in trade, industry, renewable energy, logistics, information technology and digital transformation, health, agriculture, and education. It will offer significant opportunities to foster partnerships and cooperation programs between Egypt and GCC member states.
The Egyptian foreign minister further emphasized Egypt’s commitment to localizing industry and technology, highlighting the vital need to deepen integration with Saudi Arabia in sectors such as renewable energy and food security. He also discussed the incentives Egypt offers to foreign investors, especially in industrial fields.
The two ministers exchanged views on recent regional developments, specifically tensions between Israel and Iran. Dr. Abdelatty reiterated the importance of pursuing all possible diplomatic and political efforts to deescalate the situation, call for a ceasefire, and resume diplomatic negotiations toward a sustainable agreement on Iran's nuclear program.