Saudi visit to Ethiopia angers Egypt

A senior Saudi delegation recently visited the Ethiopian dam, further straining relations between the Gulf kingdom and Egypt, Press TV reported yesterday.

Press TV reported Egyptian media describing the Saudi visit to Ethiopia as an act of revenge that could deepen the rift between the two countries.

According to the channel and other international media agencies, the senior adviser at the Saudi royal court and board chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development Ahmed Al-Khatib visited the site of the Ethiopian dam and met Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Friday.

Al-Khatib’s visit is the second of its kind by a Saudi official to Addis Ababa in less than a week, the Iranian TV said, adding that it comes after a previous visit by the Saudi agriculture minister.

The Saudi-Egyptian rift came to the surface when Riyadh announced its anger with the Egyptian vote in favour of a Russian resolution on Syria in the UN Security Council.

As a result, Saudi state owned petroleum firm, Aramco, ceased shipments of oil products expected under a $23 billion aid deal.