Crown prince holds talks in Bahrain ahead of landmark Egypt visit

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Bahrain on Sunday night to hold talks with leaders there as part of his tour of several Arab countries, which takes him to Cairo on Monday.

The crown prince is expected to meet with Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and many top officials to further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.

During his last visit to Egypt in March, the two countries agreed to set up a $10-billion joint investment fund related to Neom. The hightech economic mega-city — a pillar of the crown prince’s Vision 2030 — will span the borders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, with Egypt committing more than 1,000 sq km of land in the southern Sinai.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt enjoy a long-standing relationship that started in 1946, when King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the Kingdom’s founder, chose Egypt as his first official international destination.

The crown prince began his tour of Arab countries on Thursday, starting in the UAE, where he met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed AlNahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi crown prince praised UAE-Saudi relations, calling them “an exceptional role model for brotherly ties,” based on “mutual respect and joint determination” to achieving sustainable development, social welfare and economic wellbeing, the UAE state agency WAM reported.