Diplomatic Relations Between Saudi Arabia and Egypt

I remember, as the whole world could hear me, His Highness Prince Salman

bin Abdulaziz, now King of the Kingdom, was Governor of Riyadh at the time.

In 1985 or '86, he called President Hosni Mubarak,

and President Hosni Mubarak was resting in al-Dhahriya in Khait, so his

regular secretary told him the president was resting a little.

He said, "All right, there's no need to disturb him, but I want to leave him a message."

He said, "Please wait, Your Excellency, I'll get you Dr. Mostafa El Feky."

So I picked up the phone and said, "Welcome, Your Highness."

He said, "How are you, Mostafa?" warmly, as if he knew me.

It was the first time I had spoken to him.

It was my first time speaking to him, but he put me at ease. He was very friendly.

He said, "How are you, Mostafa?" like family, as if he knew us.

I said, "Welcome, Your Highness." He said, "By God, we have a message we want you to convey

to the president. The day after tomorrow, we will open the Riyadh Today Exhibition at your place."

Diplomatic relations had been severed. Keep that in mind.

They were conducted only through the Arab League.

There is no diplomatic Arabic, but look how the Saudis treated us. I told him afterward,

“Your Highness, there is a small request. We want Pope Shenouda

III to be present because we, too, are keen on Egypt’s Copts

as fellow members of the Arab nation, and this is a position I

always credit to the Kingdom in its relations with the Coptic Church and in

employing Copts in the positions they offer, not only for Copts, but for

all Arab Christians. Many of their advisers,

officials, and doctors are Arab Christians from Palestine and Lebanon

and Jordan, among others, and Iraq, and they have a good relationship with the Copts.

When I was Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs, a woman came to me

crying. Her husband was a doctor in Saudi Arabia and had been jailed. Why? He was

performing surgery on someone, when the Saudi doctor, the newer but more powerful one,

told him, “Don’t you dare, Egyptian. I’m the one operating.”

He told him, “You’re not specialized in this case.” He said, “I’m just finishing.” So he performed the surgery.

The man was paralyzed.

The patient.

The patient. So the Egyptian was arrested. Why did you do that? He told them, I had no

choice. He's one of our countrymen. So they jailed him. And I called the royal palace

in Riyadh.

right away. Mohammed Al-Sheikh was chief of the Royal Court, and I told him, please

inform the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques that there's an Egyptian Coptic woman from Shubra.

King Fahd was reigning at the time.

Fahd, she's appealing to him for help. By God, brother, the next morning,

I was told she was on the plane back to Egypt.

When Pope Tawadros succeeded Shenouda, the King sent him

a congratulatory telegram.

King Salman.

Salman. So these are also actions that show broad-mindedness, in my

opinion.