# How Saudi Arabia Gifted Egypt a $43 Million Gas Shipment in 2011

- Original post: https://www.twitter.com/i/status/2117743705465512338
- Source account: [@alsalatin3](https://x.com/alsalatin3)
- Source language: Arabic
- Target language: English
- Duration: 4:37
- Published: 2026-11-07
- Machine translated. Check the original before quoting.
- Canonical URL: https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011
- Original-language version: https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/ar/%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%A3%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D8%AD%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A9-43-%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1.md

## Transcript

[0:00](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011) One day in February 2011, Egyptian Finance Minister Samir Radwan called.

[0:13](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=13) He had only recently been appointed. May he rest in peace.

[0:16](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=16) May he rest in peace. He was a very, very good man.

[0:21](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=21) And you were Foreign Minister. And I had just become Foreign Minister. He was calling you.

[0:25](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=25) He said to me, "Mr. Ahmed, We have a serious financial deficit, and we have a serious gas shortage.

[0:37](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=37) When was this? In February 2011? In 2011, in February.

[0:41](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=41) And there was a ship carrying gas from Saudi Arabia.

[0:51](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=51) It was supposed to unload at the port of Suez.

[0:56](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=56) And it wouldn't unload unless Egypt paid.

[1:00](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=60) The money. 43 million dollars. In cash. Cash for the— the shipment. The shipment.

[1:09](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=69) Can you sort it out for me with our brothers in Saudi Arabia?

[1:12](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=72) We didn't have 43 million. That wasn't what he said to me.

[1:18](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=78) "Sort it out for me with our brothers in Saudi Arabia."

[1:20](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=80) So I called Prince Saud Al Faisal, the Foreign Minister at the time.

[1:24](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=84) My friend. May he rest in peace. I couldn't reach him.

[1:28](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=88) They told me he was in Morocco with His Majesty King Abdullah.

[1:32](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=92) May he rest in peace. So I called the head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

[1:43](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=103) A gentle, lovely person. The Saudis are good people. Very good.

[1:52](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=112) I called Prince Bandar. There I was. I wanted to speak to the prince.

[1:57](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=117) They told me he was in… in Morocco with His Majesty the King.

[2:03](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=123) So I was at a loss. Who else could I call?

[2:07](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=127) The foreign minister and the intelligence chief— who else could I turn to?

[2:10](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=130) I don't know anyone in— I wasn't going to call the finance minister. He has no decision-making power.

[2:17](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=137) Not even half an hour passed before Prince Saud called.

[2:25](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=145) Half an hour later, he said, "What do you want?"

[2:29](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=149) What are you doing in your country? What are you doing… in your country? Your country.

[2:34](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=154) So I told him, "Well, things are as they are."

[2:37](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=157) But we need the shipment released, and we'll pay for it once things settle down and you open up the resources for us.

[2:50](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=170) He said, "All right, I'll see what I can do."

[2:53](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=173) Three minutes later, Prince Bandar bin Sultan called.

[3:00](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=180) "Yes, Ahmed, what do you want?" I told him the story, and I felt embarrassed.

[3:07](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=187) I felt embarrassed that I'd called both of them at that level.

[3:11](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=191) Because the principle is, if you call someone, you should stick with them until you see whether they can do it for you or not.

[3:20](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=200) You can't work through two channels. This is one of the principles of diplomacy.

[3:27](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=207) So I ended up feeling ashamed of myself.

[3:28](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=208) But the circumstances are putting pressure on me.

[3:31](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=211) The two of them called me again, one after the other, within ten minutes.

[3:37](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=217) They told me King Abdullah gave Egypt gas as a gift.

[3:47](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=227) A gift. 43 million dollars. The same thing Prince Saud did in 2013 or 2014, when the Europeans started to besiege us. To besiege us, and he went to Paris.

[4:07](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=247) After the June 30 Revolution. He visited Rome and London and said, “Stay away from Egypt.

[4:15](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=255) Keep your hands off it, because it was a moment of tremendous weakness for Egypt that we have suffered from up until now.

[4:27](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=267) We received full support from Saudi Arabia.

[4:30](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=270) And after that, from the entire Gulf. The UAE, Kuwait, and the whole Gulf.

[4:34](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/RAxhvqPbtEAv/en/how-saudi-arabia-gifted-egypt-a-43-million-gas-shipment-in-2011?t=274) So don't forget these principles.