Joint Statement on the Occasion of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's Visit to KSA

Within the framework of the brotherly, historic and intrinsic bonds between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt, may Allah Almighty bless them and their brotherly peoples, as well as the solid relations, kinship bonds and common fate they share, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, 5/8/1443. The President was received by his brother, His Royal Highness, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh. His Royal Highness accompanied His Excellency the President to his brother, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah Almighty bless him, where an official reception ceremony was held at the royal court.

In an atmosphere enveloped by a spirit of affection and fraternity, embodying the outstanding and profound relations between the two countries, an official session of talks was held between His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense and His Excellency President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, may Allah Almighty bless them. During their meeting, the two sides discussed the firm, historic relations between the two countries, lauding the level of cooperation and coordination between them across all levels. They also touched on ways to further advance their relations in an array of fields in order to enhance and achieve the interests of the two countries and their peoples. They also tackled the latest developments in the region and the world, and underscored their unified position and common fate with regard to issues and regional and international developments of mutual concern.

On the political front, the two sides confirmed their resolve to foster closer cooperation on all political issues and seek to crystalize joint positions that preserve the two countries’ security and stability. The two sides stressed the importance of furthering coordination and consultations regarding the latest developments in all bilateral and multilateral fora, so as to contribute to achieving security, stability and prosperity in the two countries and the region.

The two sides exchanged views on issues and dossiers of mutual interest at the regional and international arenas, in addition to efforts toward coordinating their positions to serve their interests and enhance security and stability in the region and the world. They also underlined the importance of joint Arab action and the role of the Arab League in efforts to support mechanisms of joint Arab action and resolve the region’s crises, in line with the relevant international resolutions and principles of international law. The two sides reaffirmed their persistent support for achieving peace in the Middle East and emphasized the importance of reaching a comprehensive settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict according to the two-state-solution, the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, to safeguard the rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent Palestinian state, along the 1967 borders, with Arab East Jerusalem as its capital. The two sides also confirmed the need for concerted efforts by the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.

The two sides asserted that Arab security is indivisible, affirming the significance of joint Arab action and full Arab solidarity to maintain Arab national security, with the capabilities and potential of its states that enable them to assume this responsibility; a responsibility that falls on the shoulders of all Arab countries and is assumed by the two brotherly countries in their ongoing efforts to reinforce security and stability in the region.

The two sides reiterated their rejection of any attempts by regional players to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries, threaten their stability or undermine the interests of their peoples, either through tools of ethnic and sectarian incitement; terrorism and terrorist groups; or expansionist perceptions that disrespect the state’s sovereignty and the principle of good neighborliness. The two sides agreed on continuing the fight against terrorist organizations, with all their forms, in the region and also reviewed efforts exerted by their countries in this regard.

Both sides condemned attempts to undermine the security and safety of navigation in the Arabian Gulf, Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea. They confirmed the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in these vital sea lanes as well as the need to address any threats to them as they constitute a threat to regional and international security and stability. The two sides also expressed their rejection of the continued threat of the terrorist Houthi militias to maritime navigation in the Red Sea and the Houthi possession of military capabilities cannot be overlooked, as this poses a direct threat to the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region’s countries. The two sides affirmed their keenness to enhance cooperation between the two countries, especially in the military field as well as strategic relations and partnerships.

On the Yemeni issue, the two sides praised the consensus of views on continuing their efforts to find a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis, based on the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference and the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2216. The Egyptian side lauded the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to end the Yemeni crisis and the humanitarian plight of the Yemeni people. Both sides welcomed the issuance of the UN Security Council Resolution 2624 for the year 2022, in which the Houthi militia was classified as a terrorist group, in addition to expanding the embargo on delivering weapons to Yemen to include all members of the terrorist Houthi group. The two sides praised at the same time the great role played by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center to alleviate the human suffering of the Yemeni people.

On the Iraqi issue, both sides expressed their hope for the formation of an Iraqi government that will continue to work towards the security, stability and development of Iraq, as well as the elimination of terrorism and the halt of foreign intervention in its internal affairs.

On the Sudanese issue, both sides confirmed their continued support to make the transitional phase succeed in a way that contributes to preserving the political and economic gains. They also stressed the importance of dialogue between the Sudanese parties, noting the role of the United Nations and the efforts of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) to facilitate dialogue, enhance the values ​​of consensus, strengthen dialogue, revive the political process, and protect the unity of the ranks among all its elements and all that would achieve security and stability in Sudan, wishing Sudan and its brotherly people stability and prosperity.

On the Lebanese issue, the two sides affirmed their keenness on Lebanon’s security, stability and unity and the importance of continuing efforts aimed at preserving Lebanon’s Arab identity, security and stability. This is in addition to supporting the role of the Lebanese state institutions and introducing the necessary reforms to ensure that Lebanon overcomes its crisis and that it does not become the starting point for any terrorist acts, the host of terrorist organizations and groups that destabilize the security and stability of the region, and a source or transit point for smuggling drugs.

On the Syrian issue, both sides stressed the importance of reaching a political solution to the crisis in Syria that fulfills the aspirations of the Syrian people and preserves Syria's unity and territorial integrity. They also stressed the need to curb regional intervention in Syria’s affairs that threatens Syria’s security, stability, territorial integrity and the cohesion of its social fabric, as well as the need to support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Syria.

On the Libyan issue, both sides stressed the need to preserve Libya’s stability, unity and territorial integrity and confirmed support for all efforts aimed at reaching a Libyan-Libyan political solution and for all Libyan parties to agree on moving towards the future to achieve the interest of Libya and its people without any foreign intervention or dictates. The two sides stressed the importance of supporting the role of the Libyan state institutions and assuming their responsibilities. In this context, they valued the procedures taken by the House of Representatives, being the elected legislative body that represents the brotherly Libyan people and is entrusted with enacting laws, granting legitimacy to the executive authority, and exercising its oversight role. They also stressed the need for foreign forces, mercenaries and foreign fighters to exit within a specific time frame to implement the Security Council Resolution No. 2570, the outcomes of the Paris Summit, the Berlin Conference 2, the mechanism of Libya's neighboring countries, the League of Arab States and the African Union. They also stressed the need for the Joint Military Commission (JMC, 5+5) to continue its work and the commitment of all parties to stop military actions in order to preserve the security and stability of Libya and the capabilities of its people.

The Saudi side affirmed its full support for Egypt’s water security, given that it is integral to Arab water security. It also urges Ethiopia to abandon its unilateral policy in connection with international rivers, and to abide by its commitments under international law, including the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015, this entails not taking unilateral measures regarding the filling and operation of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and the importance of cooperating in good faith with Egypt and Sudan to reach, without delay, a legally-binding agreement on the rules of filling and operation, in line with the presidential statement issued by the Security Council in September 2021.

The Egyptian side expressed its full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in all the measures it takes to protect its national security, in addition to affirming its rejection of any attacks on the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and stressing that the security of the Kingdom and the Arab Gulf region is an integral part of Egyptian national security.

With regard to Afghanistan, the two sides stressed the need to support security and stability in Afghanistan and not to allow the existence of safe havens for terrorists and extremists in it. They also stressed the need to continue international efforts to combat terrorism and expressed the importance of supporting relief efforts and humanitarian work in Afghanistan.

They also confirmed the importance of dealing seriously and effectively with Iran's nuclear and missile file with all its components and repercussions, in a manner that contributes to achieving regional and international security and stability, while emphasizing the principles of good neighborliness and respect for UN resolutions and international legitimacy, and also sparing the region from all destabilizing activities.

The Egyptian and Saudi sides also expressed their satisfaction with the efforts made in the field of combating terrorism and its financing, and their joint efforts within the framework of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC). 

On the security and military fronts, the two sides praised the level of security cooperation and coordination that exists between the two countries, and their mutual desire to enhance this in a manner that achieves security and stability for the two brotherly countries. In this regard, this must be done with the participation of the countries of the region. Both sides also expressed their rejection of the Houthi terrorist militias continuously threatening maritime navigation, reiterating that these militias’ possession of military capabilities of repute cannot be overlooked, as it is a direct threat to the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region. The Egyptian and Saudi sides affirmed their keenness to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, especially in the military field, and the strengthening of strategic relations and partnerships.

In the economic and commercial affairs, the two sides agreed to strengthen economic-investment and commercial partnerships between the two countries and propel it into broader horizons to befit the depth of the historical and strategic relationship between the two countries. This is through achieving integration between the opportunities available through the Vision2030 of Saudi Arabia and Egypt Vision 2030. Both two sides also stressed their intention to continue working to enable the partnership between the private sectors in the two countries and encourage and enhance mutual investments in many targeted sectors, including tourism, energy, health care, transportation, logistics, communications, information technology, real estate development, and agriculture. The Egyptian and Saudi sides both expressed their aspiration to attract the expertise of their private sectors to future mega projects in the two countries, emphasizing their keenness to alleviate any challenges facing their investments in both countries. The two sides also agreed to continue coordination and cooperation in the field of marine environmental protection and enhance trade exchange between the two countries, and stressed the importance of promoting yacht tourism and facilitating passage through the Suez Canal through a number of initiatives between the two sides. The Egyptian and Saudi sides praised the volume of intra-industry trade between the two brotherly countries, which reflects the depth and the sustainability of economic relations between the Kingdom and the Republic of Egypt. They also stressed the importance of continuing to develop these relations through the consistency of holding the Joint Business Council, exchange of visits, and trade delegations.