3/25/2023 0 Comments Nuclear time space riftSisi has long been keen to revive ties with Russia, despite Egypt’s dependence on generosity from Arab states that consider Moscow an enemy in Syria.Ĭairo is desperate to lure back Russian tourists to its Red Sea resorts after the bombing of an airplane over the area last year killed 224 people and prompted Moscow to suspend flights. Security Council, endorsed a Russian resolution that excluded calls to stop bombing Aleppo. In Syria, where Saudi Arabia is a leading backer of rebels fighting against Bashar al-Assad, Sisi has supported Russia’s decision to bomb in support of the president.Įgyptian sources and Saudi commentators told Reuters the last straw came on Saturday, when Egypt, the only Arab state now holding a rotating seat on the U.N. Cairo contributed naval forces but, haunted by a previous Yemeni quagmire, was reluctant to commit ground troops. In Yemen, Riyadh wanted Cairo to play a central role in its war against the Houthi group that controls the capital. Gulf monarchies led by Saudi Arabia have given billions of dollars to Egypt since mid-2013, when Sisi, then army chief, overthrew a president from the Muslim Brotherhood, a common enemy.īut with the Brotherhood threat diminished, Gulf rulers have grown disillusioned at what they consider Sisi’s inability to reform an economy that has become a black hole for aid, and his reluctance to back them on the regional stage. that could lead eventually to a very cold relationship.” COMMON ENEMY “Unless Egypt re-evaluates its position I foresee more differences. So Saudi Arabia is very much against Iranian expansionism in Iraq and Syria and obviously the Egyptians do not see it that way,” said Jamal Kashoggi, a leading Saudi commentator. that very much contradicts the Saudi policy with regard to regional strategic threats. If Riyadh intended to send a message that it was running out of patience with Cairo, the message now seems to have been sent. Security Council, Egypt had been courting warmer ties with Russia, Saudi Arabia’s foe in the Syrian conflict. It came through with a $2 billion deposit in the Egyptian Central Bank in September that helped Cairo secure a $12 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund.īut sources in both countries say a rift between them is deepening, and stems from disagreement about regional politics. Saudi Arabia has no shortage of reasons to hold back on the aid shipments: Egypt agreed in April to turn over two Red Sea islands to Saudi control, but this has been held up by an Egyptian court which blocked the move in June.Īfter years of low oil prices, Saudi Arabia itself is no longer as rich as it once was it is cutting investment at home, making it more difficult to be generous to its allies abroad. He also struck a defiant tone unlikely to endear him to the Gulf Arab kings and princes that have kept his country afloat.Įgypt “would not bow to anyone but God”, he declared. Sisi referred to the dispute in a speech on Thursday, denying that Egypt’s position on Syria was the reason for the fuel cut-off. Amid the feud, the Saudi ambassador has boarded a plane to travel temporarily back home to Riyadh.
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