CAIRO / ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held talks in Cairo on Monday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan amid an escalation in southern Yemen.

A presidential statement said the talks between the two sides addressed a host of regional and international issues of shared interest.

Sisi affirmed the importance of intensifying Egyptian-Saudi coordination on issues of mutual concern and the ongoing crises in the region.

According to the statement, the two sides shared identical views on the necessity of reaching peaceful solutions to regional crises in a manner that preserves the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states, particularly in Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian president praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts to host a conference for dialogue between Yemeni parties on the issue of the country’s south.

On Saturday, Riyadh invited all parties in Yemeni territory outside Houthi control to attend a conference to discuss the southern issue.

The invitation came a day after Aidarous Zubaidi, head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), announced a two-year “transitional phase” that would include dialogue with parties in southern Yemen and a “referendum” on the future of the south.

It came after STC forces captured the eastern provinces of Hadhramaut and al-Mahra, but government forces on Sunday reclaimed full control of the two regions, which account for nearly half of Yemen’s territory and share borders with Saudi Arabia.

Last week, Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of “pushing STC forces to carry out military operations” along the kingdom’s southern border in Hadhramaut and Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.

Sisi also welcomed ongoing efforts to arrange the first meeting of the Egyptian-Saudi Supreme Coordination Council, scheduled to be held later this year under the chairmanship of Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also met with bin Farhan and discussed regional developments, according to a foreign ministry readout.

During the meeting, Abdelatty outlined Egypt’s efforts to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, and reject any measures undermining Palestinian territorial unity, the ministry said.

The two ministers also discussed developments in the Horn of Africa, rejecting unilateral actions affecting Somalia’s sovereignty. Discussions also dwelt on the situation in Sudan and Yemen, with the ministers stressing support for Saudi de-escalation efforts in Yemen and for efforts to reach a humanitarian truce and a comprehensive ceasefire in Sudan.