Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Saudi city of Jeddah, according to state media, during a visit that comes as Cairo is facing severe economic difficulties, with its currency losing about half of its value in about a year.

And the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported late Sunday that Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of his country, and Sisi "reviewed the close and historical bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, prospects for joint cooperation and ways to enhance and develop it in various fields."

The oil-rich Gulf monarchy regularly provides generous aid to Cairo, but Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said in January that his country would not provide unconditional aid again.
The statement sparked a rare strong argument between media professionals and journalists in the two countries, which lasted for several weeks, without official comment from the governments of the two countries. The editor-in-chief of a state-owned Egyptian newspaper was forced to apologize to the Saudi people for an article he said was attributed to him.

An Egyptian official told Agence France-Presse at the time that higher Egyptian authorities intervened to defuse the media argument.

The Egyptian economy was severely affected by the war in Ukraine in February 2022, with the high cost of Egyptian imports, which prompted Saudi Arabia to deposit $5 billion in the Central Bank of Egypt in March 2022.

The visit comes at a time when Egyptians are awaiting a new devaluation of the Egyptian pound, whose exchange rate officially reached about 31 pounds for one dollar.

The visit also comes at a time when the region is witnessing truce initiatives between the main powers in the Middle East, about a month before Saudi Arabia hosts the Arab summit next May.
The official agency indicated that the two leaders "discussed developments in the regional and international situation and the efforts exerted towards it."

Less than a month ago, he announced an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, sponsored by China, to resume diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran after a seven-year break.

Saudi Arabia also announced talks with Syria to resume consular services between the two countries, after a continuous break for nearly ten years.

While Cairo received the foreign ministers of Syria and Turkey for the first time in more than 10 years.