Egyptian Member of Parliament Mostafa Bakri called for an emergency Arab summit to support Saudi Arabia and the legitimate Yemeni government, considering that Egyptian-Saudi coordination has reached its highest level and that the security of both countries constitutes Arab national security.
In a post on his official account on the platform “X,” Bakri said that Egypt’s supportive position toward the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents a defense of the national security of both countries. He called on Arab countries to adopt a collective position regarding developments in Yemen and the attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, stressing that continued Arab silence raises questions about solidarity among Arab countries.
He added that what is required is the convening of an emergency Arab summit to declare support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the legitimate Yemeni government led by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi. He asked, “If the summit does not meet today, when will it meet?”, criticizing what he described as the silence of some Arab countries regarding developments in the region.
Bakri accused Arab parties of failing to support Saudi Arabia, saying that the Kingdom has never fallen short in its support for Arab countries and that it is bearing, in his words, the consequences of its positions on Yemen’s unity and its rejection of normalization with Israel before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Discussing developments in Yemen, Bakri said that Saudi Arabia rejects the establishment of a hostile sectarian government on its borders and also rejects the use of the Bab al-Mandab Strait to serve Iranian interests. He warned of the repercussions of the conflict on regional security and vital maritime routes.
The Egyptian lawmaker highlighted the situation in the Yemeni city of Taiz, referring to what he described as the killing of civilians and the siege of residents, and comparing their suffering with that of people in the Gaza Strip under siege. He questioned the position of Arab countries and the international community regarding these developments, calling for action that goes beyond statements and translates into practical measures.
Bakri affirmed that the Egyptian House of Representatives’ decision authorizing President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to consider sending the armed forces to Saudi Arabia, as part of a defensive mission and in coordination with Saudi forces to confront Houthi attacks, reflects confidence in the president and solidarity with the Kingdom to protect its security and stability.
He said that Egyptian-Saudi security is “one and shared security,” and that any threat to the Kingdom’s security constitutes a threat to Egypt’s security. He considered Egypt’s position to be based on the strategic ties between the two countries rather than temporary political considerations.
Bakri linked Saudi Arabia’s security and Egyptian national security, on the one hand, with the security of the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal, on the other. He stressed that protecting these maritime routes represents a strategic interest for Egypt and the countries bordering them.
He cited a saying attributed to former Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha, stating that Egypt’s security begins at the sources of the Nile to the south. He considered the same logic applicable to the maritime routes connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, given the impact of their security on international shipping and trade.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait is strategically important because it forms the southern entrance to the Red Sea, through which ships bound for or arriving from the Suez Canal pass. Any security disruption in the strait may prompt shipping companies to change their routes, increasing transportation costs and travel times and affecting global trade and Suez Canal revenues.
In this context, Bakri accused an unnamed faction of being an instrument of Iran. He warned against turning maritime routes into a means of regional pressure and considered that calls for Egypt to abandon its role in protecting regional security ignore, in his view, Egypt’s strategic interests.
He also stressed that Cairo has a direct interest in Yemen’s security and unity, pointing to its declared support for the legitimate Yemeni government represented by the Presidential Leadership Council, chaired by Rashad al-Alimi. He emphasized that the security of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen is interconnected and that any security developments in one of these countries affect the other two.
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