Egypt denies reports of strained relationship with Saudi Arabia

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has hailed Egypt’s “special relationship” with Saudi Arabia and denied any reports that the two nations have a turbulent relationship following Egypt’s support for Russian intervention in Syria.

Egypt angered Saudi Arabia in October after it voted in favour of a Russian-backed UN resolution on Syria that did not include calls to stop the Aleppo bombardment which Saudi Arabia opposed.

Subsequently, Egypt was informed by the kingdom that oil products shipments under a $23 billion aid deal had been halted indefinitely.

However Shoukry denied yesterday that relationships between the nations were tense adding that any disagreements had been “exaggerated”.

“Let me reassure you that from Egypt’s perspective we have a very clear vision as to the fundamental nature of that relationship … Arab national security depends on the cohesion and understanding that exists between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.”

“The sensitivity that exists in … what may be perceived as divergence of views or differences of opinion might be escalated in the press to take dimensions that go beyond the inherent special relationship,” Shoukry explained as he attended the Manama Dialogue conference on Middle East security in Bahrain.

Shoukry also denied reports that following the strain in relations with Saudi Arabia, Egypt is looking to further build relations with Saudi’s regional rival Iran with whom it shared tense diplomatic ties since the late 1970s.

“Egypt maintains a severance of diplomatic relations in the past 25 years and has taken no position to change that situation.”

“Egypt has always taken the opportunity of such discussions to re-emphasise the positions of the Arab nation, the interest of the Arab nation, vis-à-vis what might be expansionary policies of Iran,” he added.