Riyadh
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi made a lightning stop in Riyadh on Monday night to wish the ailing Saudi King Abdullah good health, official media reported.
Al Sissi arrived from the UAE where he had addressed a conference about the fight against terrorism.
He was met by the heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, at King Abdul Aziz Medical City where the monarch was admitted for tests on December 31.
The royal court announced on January 2 that King Abdullah had pneumonia and was breathing with the aid of a tube.
Since then, there have been no updates on his condition but the official Saudi Press Agency has reported that numerous Saudi and foreign officials have been “reassured” about his health.
“President Al Sissi wished the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques every health and quick recovery,” SPA said, adding that Al Sissi then left the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia is home to two of Islam’s holiest sites.
King Abdullah has been a key financial supporter of Al Sissi’s Egypt and an ally against extremism.
King Abdullah was the first head of state to visit Cairo after Al Sissi’s election win last May, and last August the Egyptian leader reciprocated with a trip to the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah for talks with the monarch.
The military, then headed by Al Sissi, in July 2013 overthrew Egypt’s elected Islamist president Mohammad Mursi who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, a move which led to differences among Gulf states.
Qatar was accused of destabilising the region by supporting Islamist groups including the Brotherhood — branded a terrorist organisation by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Saudi mediation late last year helped resolve the dispute between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours and led Doha to pledge its “full support” for Egypt.
Ties improved as regional officials expressed concern over the rise of the Daesh extremist group in Syria and Iraq.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all joined a US-led air campaign against Daesh in Syria.
