Mohammed bin Salman and Macron... strengthening regional and international security and stability

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron reviewed in Riyadh on Wednesday evening the “historical and strategic relations between the two countries, existing Saudi-French cooperation, and ways to enhance it across various fields, in a manner that serves the common interests of the two friendly nations.”

In a separate meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Mohammed bin Salman received a written message from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

In Cairo, President el-Sisi affirmed that “Egypt’s military effort is limited to defending Saudi Arabia’s territory and borders,” stressing that “this effort in no way involves launching any attack on Yemen.”

During a session of the “Egypt 2026” forum on Wednesday, he clarified that “Arab national security is indivisible, and the stability of our brothers in the Gulf is linked to Egypt’s national security,” adding that Egypt would defend the territory of any other Arab state if requested.

He noted that Egypt’s support for Gulf states is a natural extension of the concept of shared Arab national security, emphasizing that “Egypt’s military movement does not extend beyond Egypt’s borders or the borders of sister states that Cairo is keen to protect in terms of security and stability.”

He affirmed that the constants of Egyptian foreign policy since 2014 are based on firm principles, including non-interference in the internal affairs of states and rejection of conspiratorial policies, which contribute to consolidating the foundations of stability and joint cooperation in the region.

The Egyptian Parliament had previously decided to postpone voting on authorizing President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to send military forces to defend Saudi Arabia until the following Monday, after two parliamentary sessions held on Sunday and Monday to discuss the request.

These parliamentary sessions followed a decision by Egypt’s National Defense Council, earlier, to provide all necessary and possible forms of support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, safeguard its resources, and protect its territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites, during a council meeting chaired by el-Sisi.