“Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the pulse of the Arab region. The strength of both countries represents the strength of all Arabs. Both countries have always been supportive of each other, and of the Arab region as a whole, which is why their enemies attempt to drive a wedge between them through social networking sites which do not represent any official entity.”
These remarks by a Saudi journalist from one of the kingdom’s national dailies were addressed to me when he learned that I’m an Egyptian.
The words of this Saudi journalist, whom I met recently in the Kingdom of Bahrain by chance, should be regarded as the ‘voice of wisdom’. He is well acquainted with the distinguished nature of relations between Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the past and the present, and their sincere co-operation for the sake of their nations. He called on the peoples of both countries not to be misled with the fake news on social media.
The journalist went on to say that Saudi Arabia is planning a number of investment projects in some Arab countries, including Egypt. Such is the depth of relations between the two countries.
We all remember the words of king Abdel Aziz Al Saud on the importance of the strategic relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
“Egypt is in need of Arabs, and the Arabs are in need of Egypt,” he said.
After king Abdel Aziz Al Saud founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, he had been eager to build solid ties with Egypt.
On his deathbed, Abdul Aziz had this advice for his sons: “Look forward for further co-operation with Egypt. If it develops or fails, we will too.”
Nor can we forget the words of Abdul Aziz during his meeting with Egypt’s economic mission in 1954: “Egypt is very dear to us. What is good for Egypt is good for us and what is bad for Egypt is bad for us too.”
During his visit to Cairo in 1975, king Khaled Bin Abdul Aziz said: referred to the heroic acts and sacrifices of the Egyptians in their battle against Israeli occupation.
“Such actions are not for the sake of our beloved Egypt alone, but for the sake of the whole Arab and Islamic nation,” he said.
In light of the above, Egypt and the KSA enjoy a long history of relations based on mutual love and respect.
Following Egypt’s June 30 Revolution in 2013, Saudi Arabia was the biggest supporter for Egypt politically and economically by mobilising international support for the revolution and granting financial aid to face the harsh economic challenges after the revolution.
Egypt, too, has been a staunch supporter of the KSA in protecting Arab and Gulf national security against external threat. Egypt has also strengthened co-operation with Saudi Arabia, along with Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, to overcome the serious challenges that hit the Arab region during the Arab Spring. Thanks to this firm co-operation, the Arab states thwarted plots to destabilise the Arab region and ignite sectarian strife.
At economic level, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been a unique model for building, development and reconstruction for the sake of their own countries and the whole Arab region in the face of terrorist activity. Egypt-Saudi relations have been, and will always be strong, steady and based on mutual respect.
Mohamed Fahmy is the editor-in-chief of The Egyptian Gazette and the Egyptian Mail newspapers
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