Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Saudi counterpart Adel Jubeir reiterated the common vision of the two countries on key regional issues such as Yemen and Syria at a meeting held on Sunday, according to a statement published by the Saudi News Agency SPA.
The two countries are continuing bilateral work to enhance the relationship between Cairo and Riyadh, the two ministers said at a press conference following the meeting.
The Saudi foreign minister said the two countries share a vision regarding the Syrian crisis, stating that both seek the ouster of President Bashar Al-Assad and the protection of Syrian governmental and military institutions “so they can deal with the challenges after Assad's ousting.”
In comments quoted by SPA, Shoukry agreed that the two countries also share a common understanding of the Syrian situation, which is “an important component in Arab national security.”
He denied the presence of a joint Egyptian-Russian initiative on the Syrian crisis, but said that the two countries do coordinate since Moscow is an effective actor in regards to Syria.
“We work within a framework of cooperation since Russia has an impact on the Syrian scene. We believe that Russia can positively support the opposition,” Shoukry said.
“Through their established relationship, Russia can play a leading role in persuading the Syrian regime of the necessity of engaging in a political process with the different opposition elements, which Egypt and Russia seek to support,” added Shoukry.
Yemen
"Saudi and Egypt share a clear vision in how to deal with the situation in Yemen, and we are partners in the coalition which is working to restore the legitimate government in Yemen,” said Shoukry.
A Saudi-led Arab coalition launched a bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen in March.
"Egypt was one of the first countries that participated in the Saudi-led coalition and is still an essential part of the coalition," Jubeir said.
Jubeir pointed to the efforts to resume political negotiations, commenting that "we support any efforts that look for a peaceful solution in Yemen, as well as intensifying the humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people."
"We look to build a natural and good relationship with Iran, but that depends on Iran's behaviour and on stopping any interference in the domestic affairs of Arab countries, as well as stopping its support of terrorism," said the Saudi foreign minister.
Riyadh has accused Iran of backing the Houthi rebels, who have seized large parts of Yemen.
Security threats
Concerning terrorism in the Middle East, Shoukry said Egypt and Saudi Arabia "closely coordinate in dealing with this dangerous phenomenon" as they are members of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State militant group.
He offered his condolences to Saudi Arabia in regards to the mosque bombings targeting Shia Muslim mosques that have taken place in the last two weeks, calling them "terrible terrorist incidents.”
Egypt's top diplomat expressed the "permanent readiness" of Cairo to exchange information in security matters, saying that there is a connection between Egyptian, Saudi and Gulf national security.
Shoukry argued that the Arab world is capable of facing attempts at “foreign intervention.”
"We have the ability to do so, especially if we work strongly in coordination to achieve Arab interests,” he said.
