Egypt president visits Saudi Arabia after 'muted' tension

By Ahmed al-Masri

RIYADH

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi arrived in Riyadh on Sunday for talks with Saudi King Salman.

The state visit comes in the wake of months of muted tension between the two Arab allies.

Sisi was welcomed by the Saudi monarch upon arrival at King Salman airbase airport in Riyadh, the official SPA news agency reported.

The Egyptian Presidency said the talks between the two leaders will tackle means of bolstering strategic ties between the two states along with issues of mutual concern.

Cairo and Riyadh have been at odds over a number of political issues, atop of which comes the Syrian conflict.

In October, Egypt voted in favor of a Russian-backed UN resolution on war-torn Syria, which was opposed by Saudi Arabia.

In the same month, Saudi Arabia's Aramco company suspended oil shipments to Egypt, in which Egyptian officials said were for "commercial" reasons. The shipments, however, were resumed this month.