Saudi denies visit to Cairo to mend fences with Egypt

By Ahmed al-Masri

RIYADH

The Saudi Ambassador to Egypt has denied reports about a visit by a high-profile Saudi delegation to Cairo to mend fences with Egypt.

Ahmed Kattan said on Twitter on Wednesday Egyptian news reports about the visit were groundless.

Egyptian media earlier said a high-level Saudi delegation had arrived in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss ways of easing tension between the two Arab allies.

Egyptian-Saudi relations strained last month after Cairo voted in favor of a Russian draft resolution regarding war-torn Syria.

Following the vote, Saudi Arabia’s state oil firm Aramco suspended oil shipments to Egypt, forcing Cairo to buy oil from other sources to meet the needs of the local market.

Saudi Arabia was a major supporter of the military-backed regime in Egypt following the 2013 coup against Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president, and has channeled billions of dollars in support of Egypt’s economy.