JERUSALEM:In an effort to enhance bilateral ties, Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid paid an official visit to Cairo on Thursday to meet Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
In a statement released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Lapid said, "Strengthening Israel-Egypt relations is a very significant interest of Israel." According to reports, Lapid's one-day visit would also feature a meeting with his Egyptian colleague Sameh Shoukry, according to the statement. Lapid will return to Egypt archaeological items that were unlawfully transported from Egypt and seized by Israeli officials as "a gesture to enhance ties," according to the statement.
The visit is part of the "Israeli government's foreign policy to exploit the common interests of regional stability," according to the Israeli ministry. The trip comes following a phone conversation between Lapid and Shoukry in September, during which they pledged to improve bilateral ties.
Sisi welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in September. For the first time in a decade, an Israeli leader paid an official visit to Egypt. Following decades of hostility, Egypt was the first Arab country to conclude peace agreements with Israel in 1979.
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