Saudi crown prince kicks off regional tour in Egypt


CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman began a two-day visit to Egypt on Monday evening, the presidency in Cairo said, kicking off a regional tour extending to Jordan and Turkey.

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Presidency late on June 20, 2022 shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) receiving Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in Cairo. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman began a two-day visit to Egypt on Monday evening, the presidency in Cairo said, kicking off a regional tour extending to Jordan and Turkey.

Egyptian Presidency / AFP



The crown prince will meet with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a major ally, to discuss "regional and wider international political affairs", said Bassem Radi, a spokesman for Sisi.

A Saudi official told AFP on Saturday that "several agreements" will be penned during the crown prince's regional tour, notably in the energy sector.

Prince Mohammed will head to Turkey on Wednesday, his first visit since relations were hit by the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in late April visited Saudi Arabia, where he publicly embraced the crown prince in his first trip there since the murder.

The crown prince's regional tour comes weeks ahead of a visit to Saudi Arabia by US President Joe Biden, whose administration has lately sought to repair ties with Riyadh, despite him earlier calling the kingdom a "pariah" state.