Project of a bridge over the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia and Egypt decided to build a huge bridge across the Red Sea

April 8, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed a delimitation agreement maritime border between the states, according to which the disputed islands of Tiran and Sanafir, which were under the control of Cairo, at the entrance to the strategic Gulf of Aqaba of KSA, in the Red Sea were transferred to Riyadh.

The current breakthrough in negotiations comes after 11 diplomatic rounds of negotiations that lasted a total of six years. There is every reason to believe that if not for Egypt’s dire financial situation, the issue of transferring the islands would have remained unresolved for a long time. According to a cabinet communiqué, such a move would "allow both sides to benefit from the exclusive economic zone." The signed document must still be ratified by parliament.

Needless to say, such a controversial step evoked more than contradictory responses in Egypt. Some experts and opposition movements have already questioned the legality of Cairo's transfer of the islands to the jurisdiction of Saudi Arabia, saying that such a refusal of property and resources belonging to the Egyptian people is contrary to the constitution.

Meanwhile, the determination of the official status of the islands coincided with the signing of another important agreement - the construction of the largest one across the Red Sea, just across the two islands transferred under Saudi jurisdiction. At the same time, the agreement on the construction of the crossing was included in a large package of interstate transactions worth 20 billion dollars.

It is expected that it will connect Sharm el-Sheikh and Ras Hamid (northern Saudi Arabia, which will allow travel from Egypt to the kingdom in 20 minutes. The idea of ​​such a bridge has been discussed since 1988, and in different time This bridge was a simple road bridge, a railway bridge, and a mixed bridge. According to the current plan, the bridge will be about 32 kilometers long and more than 80 meters high. The estimated cost of this structure is estimated at approximately 3-4 billion US dollars, and it is planned to build it for approximately seven years. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the bridge would be named after King Salman.

At the same time, there is no clear opinion on the goals and objectives of this project in the expert community. Moreover, the very concept of a bridge between the two countries is subject to, in general, logical criticism. Including a purely economic aspect. From the point of view of trade between countries, the bridge will certainly facilitate the transportation of goods, but whether bilateral trade is so significant for this kind of large-scale investment is a debatable question. According to many analysts, at least not enough to build a bridge.

Then what is the essence of this project? From an economic point of view, the bridge construction project does not fully pay for itself. There is also a theoretical history of establishing a quick route for those performing the Hajj, and the transformation of Egypt into a kind of transit country from this point of view. But this is a very conditional benefit due to the quotas for pilgrims and the developed system air transport, which pilgrims traditionally use. From a military point of view, there are also no obvious strategic benefits.

There are many indications that this is a kind of “smokescreen” to cover up the actual sale of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir. The need to somehow motivate the transfer of two disputed islands The situation facing the opposition and the population is very acute. These must have some global and long-term perspectives, and the bridge meets these requirements. In this case, the signing of such an agreement acted as a kind of indulgence for Egyptian President A.F. al-Sisi.

The second reason is that for the residents of North Sinai, such a project promises to create at least 300 thousand jobs over the next five years. T This creates a kind of alternative to the usual activity in these places - the smuggling of anything and everything, including weapons, into the Gaza Strip.

At first glance, everything looks more or less smooth, but whether A.F. al-Sisi is calculating the political consequences for his personal popularity within the country is a question. The country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was split on the issue and ultimately recommended by a majority vote that the president refrain from handing over the islands.

Moreover, according to biologists, construction works and drilling will depress coral reefs, which are very sensitive to water purity, which will disrupt the unique ecosystem of the Red Sea. This, in turn, could hit the tourism sector - one of the most priority and profitable economic sectors Egypt.

It is necessary to understand that this kind of territorial concessions offends some heightened national pride of the Egyptians, who still consider themselves the main driving force in the region.

Accordingly, if the Egyptian president is unable to confirm these expectations with concrete actions in the near future, then Saudi money may not be enough to contain social protests. Questions remain regarding the feasibility of this project. The sands on which this “Colossus” of the modern Middle East is destined to rest look too “quickly.”

Ever since the ancient Egyptians surprised the world with their pyramids, gigantomania has not left the nation alone. Projects are emerging to continue the glorious work of our ancestors. Fortunately, there is usually not enough money for this, but sometimes neighbors and investors contribute money. This is how the Suez Canal and the Aswan Dam appeared. The meeting between President Sisi and King Salman of Saudi Arabia on the latter's infrequent foreign visit revived another planetary project: the construction of a bridge across the Red Sea.

At a meeting between the leaders of Egypt and KSA, it was decided to resume the project to build a bridge across the Red Sea. The bridge will connect Saudi Arabia and Egypt, running from Sharm el-Sheikh through the island of Tiran to Ras al-Sheikh Hamida in the north of the kingdom. Is not new project: they were going to implement it under Hosni Mubarak. Islamist President Mohammed Morsi closed the project because, according to some well-founded calculations, it would cause serious damage coral reefs Red Sea and all marine fauna. Now the king of Saudi Arabia has promised 20-30 billion dollars for the project and the project has been revived again.

The site of the Egypt-Saudi Arabia bridge

Given the mountainous nature of the island, builders will have to go around its shore along coral banks. This will truly be the largest "military operation" against coral reefs ever. modern history. It is also not entirely clear by what means the strait will be accessible to ships of Israel and Jordan.

The meaning of the bridge project between Egypt and Saudi Arabia

The economic viability of the project is unclear. Yes, Egypt is interested in tourists. But tourists from countries Persian Gulf arrive in Egypt without walking. They have enough money to travel by plane. Egyptians, during the Hajj process, also travel to the kingdom by plane (for those who are richer) and by ferry from Safaga (for those who are poorer). Egyptian guest workers also find their way to Saudi Arabia without any special obstacles. For Egypt, the purpose of the bridge is noticeable in the infrastructural development of South Sinai and the creation of jobs. But thirty billion could have been used for better, albeit less visible, purposes, such as irrigation. This investment activity will bring real benefits to Egypt, which is burrowing ever deeper into a trade deficit.

Observers guess in the project rather a political-symbolic meaning, so important in Arab culture.

KSA is putting together a coalition to fight the Shiites, i.e. with Iran. A visible symbol of unity on this issue for the largest Arab country and richest oil exporter is the aforementioned bridge. Whether this symbol is worth thirty billion is decided by the elderly king of Arabia, about whom evil tongues are spreading rumors of a medical nature.

On the symbolic meaning of symbols

I remember well the history of another symbol, which, by the way, has much greater significance than a bridge across the sea. This

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who arrived in Cairo on a five-day visit, entered into an agreement to build a bridge between the two states across the Red Sea.

According to King Salman, the construction of the bridge will contribute to the development of trade relations between the two states, which are long-time allies.

It is known that the President of Egypt proposed to name the bridge after the King of Saudi Arabia. Proposals to build a crossing between the two countries were put forward earlier, but were never brought to life.

The Egyptian President stressed that the signing of the agreement opens a “new chapter” in relations with Saudi Arabia.

This project was proposed by the deceased saudi king Fahd ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud back in 1988, but Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was categorically against construction. Egyptian media reported that Mubarak was under pressure from Israel, which is not interested in establishing direct connections between major Arab countries.

A giant bridge is planned to be built over the Gulf of Aqaba, which divides East Coast Sinai Peninsula With west coast Saudi Arabia. It will connect Cape Nasrani, located near the famous Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, with Cape Hamid in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

According to the project, the bridge, whose length will be 50 kilometers, will connect both countries in the Strait of Tiran area at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba. According to initial estimates, the cost of its construction will be about $3 billion.

According to experts, the construction of a bridge across the Gulf of Aqaba will bring enormous benefits not only to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but to everyone Arab countries North Africa and the Persian Gulf region. Both cargo transportation and passenger traffic conditions will be significantly facilitated, which is especially important for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims performing Hajj or Umrah (lesser Hajj) to the Muslim shrines of Mecca and Medina.

According to preliminary calculations, the construction of the bridge, which will be tolled, will pay for itself in ten years.

Currently, the only land route from Egypt to Saudi Arabia lies through Israeli territory.

During the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia to Egypt, an agreement was reached, including on the construction of a bridge across the Red Sea, designed to connect the two states, the France Presse news agency reported. This was stated by the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz, speaking before the ceremony of signing 24 investment contracts. Saudi Arabia will provide Egypt with $20 billion for the purchase of energy resources, which will meet the country's needs for five years. It's about about a loan, not a gift. Another targeted investment is $1.5 billion for the development of the Sinai Peninsula. This territory is the most problematic from a security point of view, since the terrorist organization Vilayat Sinai, associated with the Islamic State, operates there. The Egyptian side also stated that the volume of Saudi investment could ultimately reach $60 billion. The Saudi monarch arrived in Cairo on April 7 for a two-day visit. He visited Egypt for the first time after ascending the throne.