Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi on Tuesday left for Riyadh for a short visit, during which he will deliver a message from the Egyptian leadership to Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.
Al-Arabi is expected to discuss with his Saudi counterpart the means of bolstering bilateral relations, in light of news reports claiming Saudi authorities are interfering in internal Egyptian affairs.
Local reports had claimed Saudi Arabia was threatening to withdraw its investments from Egypt and to expel Egyptian workers if ousted President Hosni Mubarak were brought to trial. The same news reports said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states enjoyed strong relations with Mubarak.
Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Abdel Aziz Qattan said Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and a number of other ministers will conduct a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Qattan said he expects the visit to have "very good results", adding that officials will discuss cooperation in all spheres, as well as the recent developments in Arab countries.
According to diplomatic sources, Sharaf's visit to Riyadh is part of a tour in the Gulf that seeks to bolster economic cooperation and inject Saudi capital into the Egyptian market.
The same sources said that Egypt is counting on Saudi Arabia to play a major role in helping the Egyptian economy. Other topics for discussion with Saudi officials include tense relations between Arab nations and Iran and the future of Egyptian-Iranian relations, one source added.
