Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman on Jan. 10, 2021. (Credit: Bandar al-Jaloud/ AFP)
CAIRO — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will not attend the Arab summit to be held on Nov. 1 in Algeria, in compliance with a doctor's recommendation to avoid travel, the Algerian presidency said in a statement late on Saturday.
Prince bin Salman, the kingdom's de-facto ruler, "expressed his regret for not attending the Arab summit," in a phone call with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the statement said.
The Saudi foreign ministry later issued a statement on the telephone conversation between the two leaders but did not mention that the Crown Prince was not attending the summit.
Arab heads of state are expected to convene for their upcoming 31st summit to be held in Algiers on Nov. 1-2.
Reporting by Ahmad Elhamy and Omar Fahmy; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Marguerita Choy