Dead Sea and Amman – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz has held several meetings with Arab leaders on the sidelines of the 28th Arab Summit held in Jordan.

He met separately with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait, President Mohamed Beji Caid Essebsi of the Republic of Tunisia, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and head of Presidential Council of Libya’s Reconciliation Government Fayez Al-Sarraj.

During the talks, the King and the leaders reviewed fraternal relations between the countries and discussed ways of enhancing fields of cooperation. The meetings were attended by a number of officials.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir disclosed that the King invited Sisi for an official visit to the Kingdom in April and that the Egyptian president accepted the invitation.

Jubeir held a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri following the meeting of the two leaders.

Jubeir stated that King Salman and Sisi have confirmed, during their meeting, the depth and firmness of the historic ties binding the two countries in all fields. He added that the relations of the two countries are deeply rooted, working together in defense of the Arab nation.

The Saudi FM told the press that Saudi and Egyptian viewpoints are identical in all fields as well as towards the crises facing the region. He mentioned Arab concerns over the dangerous situation originating from Iran’s actions and policies, its interference in the domestic affairs of Arab countries, provocation of sectarian strife, and support for terrorism in the region. He went on to say that these policies are considered hostile.

Jubeir stated: “Egypt is among the founding countries of supporting legitimacy in Yemen and among the pioneering countries which established the Islamic Military Alliance to fight terrorism.”

He explained that King Salman and Egypt’s president have underscored the importance of this relation and confirmed their wish and plan to work together for its enhancement.

He described the meeting as fruitful, constructive, amicable and very positive.

When asked about the reasons for the delay of implementation of several agreements signed during the previous visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Egypt, Jubeir said that consultation and coordination on those agreements is continuing and that officials in charge of them in both countries are in contract with each other on ways to implement them.

Concerning the Syrian crisis, Jubeir said: “There is an exaggeration in interpreting what is called differences in the Saudi and Egyptian positions. The two countries are seeking to find a political solution to the crisis according to the Geneva I declaration and UN Security Council resolution 2254.”

He confirmed that the two countries are making effective contributions to the Syria Support Group in addition to holding consultations with other states to find a peaceful solution to this crisis.

Shukri said discussions covered regional issues including the situation in Syria, where both countries agreed on the need for a political solution to end the bloodshed in Syria and save the lives of Syrians.

The Egyptian FM confirmed that coordination between the two countries is continuing at all levels- including ministerial and technical- to enhance them.

He said the strategic relations between the two countries are inevitable to achieve stability in the region and face the common challenges.

Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Youssef said that the meeting of the King with Egypt’s president is evidence of their mutual keenness on deepening bilateral relations between the two countries.

King Salman left Jordan where he was seen off by Prince Faisal bin al-Hussain and a number of officials.

He arrived in Riyadh later Wednesday accompanied by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

At King Salman Airbase Airport, the King was received by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region; Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior; Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Madinah Region, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense.

During his visit to Jordan, King Salman was accompanied by Prince Khaled bin Fahd bin Khaled; Prince Mansour bin Saud bin Abdulaziz; Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz; Prince Talal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, and a number of princes, ministers and senior officials.