Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to travel to Cairo on Tuesday, September 15, for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as regional tensions intensify and clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi forces continue.
Egypt’s presidency said the two leaders will discuss bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation between Cairo and Riyadh. Regional developments are also expected to feature prominently in the discussions.
The meeting follows a phone call between the two leaders earlier this month, during which they stressed the importance of reducing tensions in the region.
The talks come as Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have entered another period of heightened confrontation. According to the reported account, the Houthis, who control large parts of northern Yemen and many of the country’s population centers, have carried out attacks against Saudi Arabia since July.
The Houthis have also reportedly targeted Saudi vessels in the Red Sea, while Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
For Cairo and Riyadh, the significance of the meeting therefore extends beyond their bilateral relationship. Both countries are key actors in the security of the Red Sea and the wider Middle East, and further escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis could affect maritime security, regional trade and broader political calculations.
The Red Sea is particularly important because disruptions to shipping in the waterway can have consequences far beyond the immediate battlefield, affecting commercial routes and the wider regional economy. Any sustained expansion of the Saudi-Houthi confrontation could therefore increase pressure on countries whose security and economic interests are tied to the waterway.
From the perspective of Nimruz, the most important aspect of the Cairo meeting is whether Saudi Arabia and Egypt move toward closer coordination in dealing with the latest regional escalation. Their public agenda centers on bilateral relations and regional developments, but the Houthi-Saudi confrontation provides an important security backdrop to the discussions.
The outcome could offer an indication of whether Riyadh and Cairo are seeking a more coordinated approach to contain the crisis, protect Red Sea security and prevent the latest cycle of attacks and retaliation from developing into a broader regional confrontation.
