Saudi king arrives in Egypt, red carpet rolled out to plane

CAIRO – Saudi Arabia's King Salman has arrived in Egypt for talks, with Cairo stressing that it wants to boost ties with the Gulf powerhouse.

In a statement Thursday, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's office says Egypt accords great importance to the visit, the king's first to the Arab world's most populous nation.

The statement says the two countries must increase cooperation in order to face the region's challenges and strengthen security and stability.

It says that the two leaders will discuss economic and military cooperation, with meetings scheduled for Friday as well and Salman staying until Monday.