Cairo University honors King Salman

CAIRO: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received here Monday an honorary doctorate from Cairo University for his services to humanity.

The monarch, on a state visit to Egypt, was welcomed by President of Cairo University Jaber Nassar and senior university officials, who said the honor was bestowed on the king for his contribution to the wellbeing of the world.
Nassar said King Salman has shown his commitment to serving pilgrims at the Two Holy Mosques, and improving the standard of living for Saudis and people across the world.
Accepting the honor, King Salman thanked the university officials and said the institution has enriched the Arab and Muslim world with its scientific and intellectual contributions. The king said education and cultural institutions played an important role in society and confirmed that he would continue to support them.
The ceremony was attended by Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail, Saudi princes and ministers, and members of the official delegation accompanying the king on his visit.
The Egyptian presidency said that the five-day visit of King Salman has helped boost relations between the two countries. In a statement, Alaa Yousef, spokesman of the presidency, said this was reflected in the signing of several agreements.
He said the two nations’ leaders have reaffirmed the commitment to mutual economic growth and solidarity in the face of terrorism and extremism. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has emphasized that it was important to follow up and build on all the agreements, he said.
King Salman thanked El-Sisi for his warm welcome and generous hospitality during his official visit to Egypt in a written message, and said fruitful talks were held to cement ties between the two nations.
He described the talks with El-Sisi and other senior Egyptian officials as “confirming the depth of the historic ties between the two countries and peoples and their joint wish to enhance cooperation in all fields,” according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
The visit “yielded positive results” that would serve the “common interests of the two countries and the Arab and Muslim world, said King Salman. He wished El-Sisi “health and happiness and the Egyptian people security, stability and prosperity.”
According to media reports, King Salman had urged for “unity” during his historic speech at Egypt’s parliament on Sunday where he became the first Arab leader to give such an address in Cairo.
“To remedy issues of our nations, with the Palestinian cause at the forefront, we are required to be united,” he said.
“The Saudi-Egyptian cooperation we are witnessing today is a blessed beginning for our Arab and Muslim world to achieve balance after years of destabilization.”
King Salman’s address was received with deafening applause and a standing ovation. Some lawmakers waved the Kingdom’s green flag, while others chanted “all of Egypt greets you.”
In his six-minute address Sunday, King Salman said Egypt and Saudi Arabia have agreed to build a bridge linking the nations across the Red Sea and to work together to create a pan-Arab defense force.