Saudi Arabia, Egypt to carry out joint military drills

Saudi Arabia and Egypt agreed on Tuesday to form a joint military committee to discuss carrying out military drills in Saudi Arabia with the participation of Gulf States, a statement from the Egyptian presidency said.

According to a statement, Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi agreed on the formation of the committee during a meeting in Cairo with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The military drills, the statement said, would be carried out by troops from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Gulf States.

During the meeting with the Saudi defence minister, Al-Sisi said Egypt would continue to stand by other Arab states, underlining the importance of the security of the Arab Gulf for Egypt’s security, according to a another statement from the presidency.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab coalition, that includes Egypt, in striking – from air so far – positions of the Shiite Houthi militias in Yemen.

Riyadh says the campaign comes in response to appeals by embattled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to “save the [Yemeni] people from the Houthi militias”.

Meanwhile, a Saudi news agency reported that the visit from the Saudi defence minister came just days after the visit of the Egyptian defence minister to the Kingdom.

The agency reported that both ministers discussed joint military cooperation, the latest developments in the region and the efforts of the two states to maintain security in the region.