Saudi Renews Support to Egypt against “Terrorism’

Mansour arrived Monday in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on his first official trip abroad since he replaced the Islamist Mohammed Morsi after the army deposed him on July 3.

Abdullah, who was the first leader to welcome Morsi’s ouster, affirmed the kingdom’s support to Egypt against “terrorism, deviance, and sedition, and against whoever tries to interfere in Egypt’s internal affairs,” SPA quoted him as saying.

Saudi Arabia had long seen Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood as a threat and along with other Gulf monarchies — excluding Qatar which supports the movement — quickly pledged financial aid to Egypt’s new military-installed authorities.

Mansour said he had come to Saudi Arabia to “thank” the monarch.

“Visiting the kingdom was a must, as I had to thank the custodian of the two holy mosques (King Abdullah) personally on his supportive stances that comforted the Egyptians,” Mansour told the Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat.

King Abdullah was the first head of state to congratulate Mansour, doing so just hours after his appointment in July.

Riyadh subsequently announced an aid package of $5 billion to Egypt.

The Saudi monarch in August pledged his country’s support to Egypt’s fight on “terrorism”, saying it was the military-installed government’s “legitimate right”.

Egypt’s authorities had said they were confronting a “malicious terror plot” by Islamists.