"Saudi-Egyptian relations will continue to be strong," the council said in a statement after Saudi Arabia called its ambassador to Cairo for consultation and closed its embassy and consulates in Egypt.

The council deplored the excesses committed by Egyptian demonstrators while protecting the arrest of an Egyptian lawyer in Jeddah on charges of carrying drugs. "The Egyptian government and Military Council should take responsibility to end this crisis and restore normal relations," he said. Saudi Arabia and Egypt represent the corner stone for peace and stability in the Arab and Islamic world, it added.