Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Riyadh on Monday. Shoukry said he looks forward to the kingdom's continued support of Egypt's position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement. Shoukry initiated the meeting by conveying the greetings of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to Saudi King Salman bin Abdel-Aziz, giving the Saudi minister a presidential letter for the Saudi leader, Hafez added. The president's message outlined the latest developments in the dispute over Africa's largest hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister stressed the kingdom's support of Egypt on the GERD issue and of any action to protect Egypt's national security interests. Earlier in the day, Shoukry arrived in the Saudi capital as part of a seven-legged trip he started Saturday with a short visit to Jordan. The minister's tour included stops in Iraq and Kuwait. Shoukry is expected to head for Oman, Bahrain and the UAE to hand over letters from President El-Sisi to his counterparts in the sisterly Arab nations.
