President Mohamed Morsy’s visit to Saudi Arabia last week was a success. The fact that the visit even took place is major for the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that suffered under deposed President Hosni Mubarak and had been regarded with suspicion by the latter’s allies in Riyadh.

By inviting the president to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh showed that it is willing to deal practically with whoever is in power in Cairo, as long as its interests are maintained. Morsy’s high-level meetings in Jeddah were attended by a coterie of Saudi officials, including King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman and the new interior minister, Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz.