Egypt says it supports Saudi Arabia in rights row with Canada

Crown Prince and Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman al-Saud (R) is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt on 4 March, 2018 [Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Kingdom Council/Handout/Anadolu Agency]

Egypt said on Tuesday it supported Saudi Arabia in a political row with Canada, and stood in “solidarity” with the Gulf Arab kingdom against foreign interference in its domestic affairs.

Cairo’s foreign ministry said on its Facebook page that it was “concerned by the crisis between Saudi Arabia and Canada, which is a result of the negative tendency by some international … sides of meddling in the internal affairs of countries in the region,” without elaborating.

Read: Egyptian diplomat accused of ‘attempting to overthrow the incumbent regime’

The Saudi government on Sunday recalled its ambassador from Ottawa, barred Canada’s ambassador to Riyadh and placed a ban on new trade, denouncing Canada for urging the release of rights activists.

Egypt saw crucial US military aid frozen last year over its own human rights record amid one of its toughest ever crackdowns on dissent, but that decision was reversed last month.

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