Egypt's parliament on Monday approved authorizing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to take measures to support Saudi Arabia, a move that could not change the Egyptian foreign policy's constants which are to promote peace talks and prevent an escalation of conflict, an expert said.
The authorization makes it possible for Egypt to send troops to assist Saudi Arabia amid escalating hostilities between Yemen's Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with both sides exchanging attacks and military warnings in recent days.
But analysts widely believe that this does not alter Egypt's longstanding position on regional conflict. In fact, President Sisi said explicitly at an event that Egypt's military support to Saudi Arabia is limited to defending Saudi territory and borders rather than attacking Yemen.
"The purpose of Egypt's moves is to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of security threats, promote regional peace and stability from the perspective of the balance of power. Meanwhile, the door to negotiations has never been closed. Egypt has been actively conducting diplomatic mediation among the parties in the region," said Mohamed el-Deehy, deputy director of the Al-Hewar Center for Political and Media Studies, an independent academic and policy research institution headquartered in Cairo.
Influenced by geopolitical factors as well as domestic economic and social conditions, Egypt has long pursued a strategy of balanced diplomacy centered on safeguarding national interests while taking multiple relationships into account.
It has actively played the role of mediator and peacemaker in regional conflict. In recent years, Egyptian leaders and the government have repeatedly said that regional conflict does not serve the collective interests of countries in the region, including Egypt.
"Any Egyptian move, whether defensive or otherwise, or any other escalation, will be based on the Egyptian foreign policy's constants, which are to respect the rules of international law and achieve regional peace and stability," said el-Deehy.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Egypt's backing of Saudi Arabia won't alter Cairo's mediation-first policy: analyst
