"[Saudi ...] King Salman congratulated the establishment of the Council of the Arab and African countries of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," the ministry tweeted.
The council signed a charter. It was inked by the top Saudi diplomat, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and visiting foreign ministers from seven participating nations — Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Yemen, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.
Faisal bin Farhan said the council would be inaugurated at a summit in Riyadh that King Salman planned to call in a bid to coordinate a joint response to challenges and threats in the region.
Tensions in the Gulf soared after the United States killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike last week. The already-strained ties between the two have escalated, with both threatening military action.
