Spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Amr Roshdy said statements attributed to the Egypt’s deputy consul in Jeddah were “fabricated”, adding that the Consul Maher al-Mahdy did not give any interviews to the media on the recent crisis between the two countries following the arrest of an Egyptian lawyer in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi paper Okaz had quoted Mahdy on Sunday as saying that “If Saudi Arabia put 10,000 Egyptians in its prisons and labeled them criminals, this would still not affect the strong relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia”.
It reported Mahdy saying that, alternatively, if a million Egyptians protest, this would not have a negative impact on the strong relations between the two countries.
Okaz also quoted Mahdy as saying that Gizawy — who had previously filed a lawsuit against the Saudi king over Egyptians’ treatment there — admitted he had drugs in his possession.
The arrest of Egyptian lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawy at Jeddah International Airport on 17 April ignited a political crisis between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with news circulating that Gizawy was arrested for humiliating the king. Saudi authorities said he was detained for attempting to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the country and had signed a confession to that end.
Hundreds of activists staged protests in front of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo following Gizawy's arrest, and Saudi Arabia responded to the protests by recalling its ambassador on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Speaker Saad al-Katatny said in a statement addressed to the People’s Assembly that he phoned the head of the Saudi Shura Council, Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh, who emphasized the strength of Saudi-Egyptian relations, saying they will not be affected by such a cursory incident, MENA reported.
In his statement, Katatny said does not approve of what happened in front of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo, which led Saudi Arabia to recall its ambassador and close its embassy and consulates in Alexandria and Suez.
He added that Gizawy can resort to the law to uphold his rights.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said distinction has to be made between Egyptian-Saudi relations and problems facing an individual Egyptian in Saudi Arabia.
Amr told a joint meeting for the People's Assembly's Arab Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Human Rights committees on Sunday that the problems the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia face are very few compared to their number, which exceeds 2 million.
He also said he rejects the insulting slogans that were scribbled on the walls of the Saudi Embassy in Cairo.
