Saudi-Egyptian business council talks kick off in Riyadh Monday

Cairo and Riyadh kick off on Monday preparatory ministerial meetings to lay the ground for a fresh round of Saudi-Egyptian business council talks, Egypt's state news agency MENA said.

Egyptian ministers of foreign affairs, high education, international cooperation and housing arrived in the Saudi capital for the third meeting of the Coordination Council- formed in November to promote cooperation between both Arab allies.

The three-day council gathering will begin on Tuesday, according to MENA.

The second council meeting was held in mid December in Cairo when Saudi Arabia's King Salman pledged a total of $8 billion (30 billion riyals) in investment and aid to Egypt over the next five years.

Saudi Arabia has been one of Egypt's main backers since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood- which both Cairo and Riyadh view as a security threat.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait each offered $4 billion to Cairo.