Egypt and Saudi Arabia have agreed to establish a bridge over the Red Sea, linking Sharm el Sheikh with Ras el Sheikh Hamid in Saudi Arabia.
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In his six-minute address, King Salman also said that Arab countries need to work together to combat violent extremism and advocated a “unified vision” for a “united Arab (military) force”.
Saudi King Salman called on Sunday for a joint fight against terrorism in the Middle East at a time when Riyadh is engaged in several conflicts the region. During the meeting, Tawadros expressed his gratitude for Saudi support for Egypt, emphasizing the depth and strength of Egyptian-Saudi relations throughout history.
The agreement was signed in Egypt’s Abdeen palace in the presence of the country’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi’s King Salman during his four-day visit to the North Africa country.
More than a dozen other agreements, including a memorandum of understanding to set up an industrial zone in Egypt, were also announced.
Egyptian lawmakers received Salman with deafening applause and a standing ovation.
“Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said the agreement on transferring the islands of Tiran and Sanafir from Egyptian control to Saudi control was done with Israel’s assent”, the radio posted on its website.
“Here you have Salman coming to Egypt, pledging billions of dollars in aid and investment, and in exchange these islands are handed over”, Shehata said.
This is giving the Egyptian public the impression that the junta has effectively “sold” the islands to the Saudi government.
The 80-year-old royal appeared on television to deliver the news Friday, saying “I agreed with my brother, his Excellency President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to build a bridge connecting the two countries”.
The bridge will be an enormous project, 10-20 miles (16-32 km) long, depending on its position, providing a land connection between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The bilateral agreement will be presented to Egypt’s House of Representatives, which will discuss its contents and issue a decision as to whether to ratify the agreement, as per legal requirements.
Saudi and Egyptian officials said the islands belong to the kingdom and were only under Egyptian control because Saudi Arabia’s founder, Abdulaziz Al Saud, asked Egypt in 1950 to protect them.
Egypt apprised Israel in advance of its plans to cede two strategic islands at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba to Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Monday.
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The row generated jokes and cartoons on social media as well as angry criticism of Sisi, relating to his overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
