Egypt-Saudi bridge will span more than a sea

What the Arabic press is saying about King Salman's visit to Egypt, featuring Asharq Al Awsat and Al Ittihad.

King Salman and president El Sisi. AFP Photo / HO / Egyptian presidency

The visit of King Salman to Egypt is perceived as pivotal for the future of the Arab world, as the region suffers from the ripple effects of conflicts in Syria and Iraq and from instability in other Arab countries.

In the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, Abdul Rahman Al Rashed looks back at historic relations between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, from the time of King Fuad until today.

“For Saudi Arabia and a group of Gulf states, Egypt is considered a key pillar in the strategic equation,” he wrote.

“When relations with Egypt were troubled for about five years back in the 1960s, the entire region was destabilised and returned to its course immediately after the 1967 war to the historic track, for stability in the region depends on it.

“This explains the tremendous pandemonium caused by the Egyptian opposition, as well as allied powers – particularly overseas – that stemmed from a will to embarrass Abdel Fattah El Sisi and the Egyptian government.

“They knew they could not prevent the visit, which turned out to be the most important in nature since King Faisal’s visit to Gamal Abdel Nasser, which corrected and cemented the relationship in 1969.”

The opposition has exaggerated disagreements between both countries when it comes to the region, which made the agreements made at the meeting this week so surprising, he added.

The unprecedented nature of these agreements was greater than had been imagined and came as something of a surprise, even to those who knew of the close relations between the Saudi king and the Egyptian president.

“They are mostly strategic projects, including the construction of a bridge linking the two countries, between the Asian and African continents. King Salman bridge will be just as important as the Sultan Mehmet Al Fatih Bridge in the Bosphorus, connecting Asia and Europe.”

The bridge will be the first geographic connection between the countries.

The visit also featured the gifting of Tiran and Al Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia and other important agreements that will deepen the relationship between the two shores of the Red Sea.

“Egypt is a great country that deserves everyone’s attention, for when it stands, the whole region stands with it, united as a great regional state,” he added.

“When the United States administration considers Iran’s overtness, the Saudis, the Emiratis and others are placing their bets on Egypt, for it is far more advanced and believes in the developmental project, beyond the military one,” Al Rashed concluded.

In the Abu Dhabi-based Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister newspaper of The National, columnist Ahmed Yusuf Ahmed underlined the importance of the bridge that will be built between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

“It will be a geographical connection between both countries, but it will also have strategic and economic repercussions and will increase communication between both peoples,” he noted.

“The second focal point of the visit is the memorandum of understanding signed on the issue of nuclear power.

“The Arab world finds itself confined between two nuclear powers – Israel and Iran – and this is an unacceptable situation from a national security perspective.”

“In this light, joint efforts are vital, particularly between Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, so as to enhance nuclear capability.

“Arabs are no longer allowed to lag behind when it comes to nuclear capacity,” he concluded.

Translated by Carla Mirza