Egypt, Saudi Arabia agree to hold common military exercises

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have agreed to carry out a major strategic military exercise in the latter’s territory, which is to be joined by other Gulf and Arab states, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in a statement.
The statement came after a meeting between al-Sisi and the visiting Saudi Defence Minister, Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, who also held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sedqi Sobhi.

“Egypt represents one of the main and effective forces to achieve security and stability in the Middle East region,” the Saudi defence minister said.
Late last month, Egypt joined a Saudi-led coalition to launch airstrikes in Yemen against the Shia Houthi rebels, who have seized several Yemeni cities since September last year, including the capital Sanaa, and had forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi capital Riyadh.