Egypt's Sisi invited to Arab Islamic American summit in Riyadh

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received on Saturday an invitation from his Saudi counterpart King Salman Ben Abdul Aziz to attend the upcoming Arab Islamic American summit in Riyadh on 21 May, which will be attended by US president Donald Trump, state news agency MENA reported Saturday.

Trump confirmed his attendance earlier this month, meaning that his first trips abroad as president will include Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican.

Trump has previously said that he "will begin with a truly historic gathering in Saudi Arabia with leaders from all across the Muslim world."

"Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam," Trump said.

"It is there we will begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for young Muslims in their countries," the US president said ahead of his visit.

According to a statement from the presidency cited by MENA, Sisi expressed his appreciation for the invitation.

The president added that he hopes the summit would achieve results that consolidate peace and security in the Middle East, especially at this critical phase and amid different challenges facing the region -- chief among them the fight against terrorism.

The invitation was delivered during a meeting between Sisi and Saudi Civic Service Minister Essam Ben Said in Cairo. Ben Said said that his country is looking forward to Egypt's participation at the summit.

Sisi and the Saudi minister stressed their respective sides' keenness to upgrade bilateral cooperation on all levels including on regional issues in order to consolidate Arab solidarity and joint action.

Sisi met with King Salman in late April in the Saudi capital, where the two Arab leaders said they looked forward to enhancing cooperation to face challenges and restore security and stability in the region, referring to the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya.

Source: Ahram online