THE Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Mohammed bin Salman ended a three-day-visit to Cairo yesterday, during which he held a meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, according to a statement released by the Presidential Spokesman Ambassador, Bassam Radi, yesterday. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways of boosting co-operation between the two countries in the political, economic, security, military, trade, investment and tourism fields. Both leaders confirmed their willingness to strengthen their co-operation in a way that serves the interests of both peoples. They also agreed to coordinate their stances in the face of all joint challenges with the aim of achieving the best possible results. President Sisi and the crown prince exchanged views on issues of regional and international concern, seeking ways to boost and enhance the settlement of issues and the stability of the region. They also expressed their keenness on confronting terrorism and extremism as they pose a grave danger to the security and stability of the whole Middle East region and the rest of the world. They also agreed to take action to eliminate the terrorist organisations and to confront all the countries which support or offer finance to the terrorists. Both leaders stressed the importance of preserving Arab national security and protecting the territorial integrity of all the Arab states. The discussions also dealt with defining a comprehensive vision and a plan to promote joint Arab action. The two leaders agreed to confront any foreign interference in the Arab states' internal affairs. They also discussed the latest developments pertaining to the Palestinian cause and confirmed their full support to the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as it capital. The Saudi crown prince also declared his full support of Egypt's right to the waters of the Nile and called on all countries not to endanger Egypt's security. President Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday attended a ceremony to mark the completion of renovation work on al-Azhar Mosque. Hundreds of al-Azhar students and residents of the Al-Hussein neighbourhood rushed to welcome President Sisi and the crown prince when they arrived at the mosque, raising banners and signs in support of the president's re-election to a second term. Upon their arrival at al-Azhar Mosque, President Sisi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were welcomed by the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar, Dr Ahmed el-Tayyeb, who took them on a tour to inspect the restoration work done on the mosque. During the inspection tour, Minister of Antiquities, Khaled el-Anani, presented a detailed review of the history of the building of the mosque. He noted that the 32-square kilometre area of Islamic Cairo was one of seven locations registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. It has more than 600 structures of archaeological significance and around 3,000 buildings with a distinctive architectural design. Minister el-Anani added that al-Azhar Mosque was constructed in 361AH and is the fourth biggest mosque at the Islamic Cairo. He noted that the restoration work on the al-Azhar Mosque, which started in 2015, was the most extensive since the mosque was first established. President Sisi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman then listened to another detailed explanation of the projects now under way in the al-Azhar area. The minister said that around 18 per cent of the projects were for the restoration of buildings, 41 per cent were for the building of new structures and 11 per cent were for giving a face-lift to existing facilities and developing them. During their talks, the two leaders also agreed to increase efforts to arrive at a political settlement of the crises in countries such as Yemen, Libya and Syria. President Sisi affirmed that the safety and security of the Gulf was part and parcel of Egyptian national security. They also attended the signing of a number of agreements, including one to set up an Egyptian-Saudi fund for investment, signed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Investment and International Co-operation. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail held a meeting with crown prince, during which he expressed appreciation of the tremendous efforts being exerted by the Egyptian government to carry out the social and economic reform programme. Egypt has embarked on a major economic reform programme to restore the competitiveness of the nation's economy. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised the development of co-operation between Cairo and Riyadh and confirmed Saudi Arabia's full support for Egypt in its war on terrorism. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that Egypt and Saudi Arabia should benefit from the promising investment opportunities available in all fields. Prime Minister Ismail confirmed the depth of the historic relations binding the two countries and described them as firm and friendly. He also said that the Egyptian government was keen on promoting co-ordination and co-operation between the two countries in every domain. The meeting between the prime minister and the Saudi crown prince also touched upon a number of regional and international crises of bilateral concern and ways of resolving them in a peaceful way. Prime Minister Ismail added that the visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Cairo had given fresh impetus to co-operation at every level and had opened up new horizons for trade exchange, for the benefit of both peoples.
