RIYADH – Saudi Arabia’s crown prince lands in Egypt on Sunday on the firstleg of his maiden foreign tour as heir to the throne, a diplomatic charmoffensive that follows his stunning rise to power.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s two-day visit to Cairo comes ahead of ascheduled trip to Britain on Wednesday for talks with Prime MinisterTheresa May and the United States during March 19-22.

The trips are aimed partly at courting investors and come after atumultuous period that saw a major military shake-up and a royal purge,part of the prince’s sweeping power play that has shaken businessconfidence.

The son of Saudi King Salman is already seen as the country’s de factoruler controlling the major levers of government.

His visit to Cairo, a key regional ally, comes before Egypt’s presidentialpolls in late March, with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to win asecond four-year term.

“Prince Mohammed’s visit will be interpreted as proof of Saudi support forSisi to remain as the president of Egypt in the coming term,” Mostafa Kamelal-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University, told AFP.

Egypt is part of a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemenin March 2015 to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a conflict that theUnited Nations says has engendered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also part of a bloc of nations that hasboycotted Qatar since June over alleged ties to Islamic extremists andIran. Qatar denies the accusations.

A Saudi government source said Prince Mohammed’s choice of Egypt for hismaiden overseas trip as crown prince “reaffirms Saudi-Egyptian cooperationat the highest level”.

Talks would cover regional rival Iran, the conflict in Yemen,counter-terrorism and energy cooperation, the source said.

The crown prince is also expected to visit France in the coming weeks. -APP/AFP