Azhar's grand imam meets Saudi king in Riyadh

CAIRO – 25 December 2018: Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb met on Monday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and a number of prominent Saudi Islamic scholars.

King Salman praised the role played by Al-Azhar in promoting Sharia teachings and serving Muslims worldwide, the Saudi Press Agency reported, adding that Tayeb greatly lauded the efforts exerted by the kingdom to serve Islam and Muslim people around the world.

The grand imam of al-Azhar and the chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders arrived on Sunday in the Saudi capital Riyadh after he visited the holy cities of Medina and Mecca to perform the Umrah rituals.


The Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb (L) met on Monday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R)


Tayeb was received following his arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh by Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance of Saudi Arabia Abdul Latif bin Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh; a number of senior Saudi clerics and the deputy ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Saudi Arabia.

Egypt's relations with Saudi Arabia strengthened during President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's two terms. The North African country also supported Saudi Arabia in its crisis on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey in early October.

Sisi received Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman in November, where they held a summit at Cairo's Ettahadiya Presidential Palace, Eastern Cairo, on Tuesday, Nov. 27 to discuss several regional issues.

MBS's last visit to Cairo was the second since he assumed the post of crown prince in June 2017. In March 2018, he paid a three-day visit to Cairo and concluded a flurry of bilateral agreements involving billions of dollars in investment projects.