Egypt, Saudi Arabia plunge into diplomatic crisis

The Saudi Arabian ambassador to Egypt returned to the country on Sunday, one day after the kingdom closed its embassy and consulates after protests.

The Saudi ambassador to Egypt was recalled for consultations after days of protests by Egyptians in front of the Saudi diplomatic missions calling for the release of Egyptian lawyer and activist Ahmed El-Gezawi, who was detained earlier in the month at an airport in Jeddah for carrying drugs.

"We can say that both two countries did not deal with the incident well, and the diplomatic crisis will have an opposite effect on bilateral ties," said Sameh Rashed, a member with the Ahram Research Center.

Though the incident has been under control, it still left a great impact on Egyptian workers in Saudi Arabia."It is for sure that the incident has had an impact on Egypt. Saudi Arabia has stopped providing work visas for Egyptian workers, and you will see the Saudi embassy closed and security troops around it," said Melek Auni, a member with the Ahram Research Center.

However, a senior Egyptian official said on April 29, that the crisis between the two countries will end soon because of their solid bilateral ties.

AP