President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi affirmed Egypt’s keenness on maintaining close coordination with the Saudi kingdom vis-a-vis all current developments in the Middle East region, in a meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Friday.

The pair met on the sidelines of a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday, and discussed the importance of the strategic relationship between the two countries.

El-Sisi said that furthering ties is one of the main and fixed priorities of Egypt’s diplomacy, especially as cooperation and coordination between both sides is considered a cornerstone of regional stability.

His spokesman Bassam Rady said that the Saudi monarch expressed deep appreciation for the Egyptian leadership and people, praising the deeply rooted and long-standing relations and historical bonds that connect the two sisterly countries.

El-Sisi stressed during the meeting that his current visit to Saudi Arabia reflects the closeness of the two countries’ relations and underlines their shared destiny and future.

The president also congratulated King Salman on the Islamic summit’s success in consolidating constructive cooperation to serve the best interests of the Islamic world.

Talks at the meeting tackled many important regional files, with both sides agreeing on the need to exert extra efforts to push forward cooperation among Arab nations and within the Islamic world to confront the growing challenges and escalated threats to regional security, Rady said.

El-Sisi reiterated that the security of the Gulf region is a fundamental part of Arab security and Egypt’s national security.