Saudi Crown Prince and Egyptian President hold talks

Saudi authorities shared details of high-level discussions and co-operation agreements with Egypt in various sectors. This came in response to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's official visit to the North African country, where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

During the meeting the sides emphasised the historical ties between their states and the desire to deepen cooperation. Topics discussed included economic co-operation, regional security and the global energy market. They also signed a formal agreement to establish the Saudi-Egyptian Supreme Coordination Council, which aims to strengthen ties in areas such as trade, defence and technology.

Al-Sisi congratulated the prince on the success of Expo 2030 in Riyadh and expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia's support for the Egyptian Vision 2030 programme. The highlight of the conversation was the growing economic ties between the two states, with Saudi Arabia being Egypt's second largest trading partner, with trade volume totalling US$8.4 billion in the first half of 2024, up 41 per cent year-on-year. The leaders expressed their readiness to overcome any challenges to further strengthen trade relations.

Discussing energy cooperation, the leaders pledged to continue working together on the project to link Saudi Arabia's and Egypt's electricity grids, described as the largest in the region. The importance of stability in the global oil market and co-operation in the field of renewable energy was also emphasised. This is reported by Arab News.

The conversation concluded with a discussion on climate change, technical cooperation and innovation, including artificial intelligence and clean energy, highlighting the importance of social and environmental sustainability.