Egyptian, Romanian leaders exchange invitations to visit respective countries

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis exchanged invitations to visit their respective countries in an effort to bolster ties, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

The invitations were relayed through Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, who concluded on Tuesday a visit to the Romanian capital Bucharest, where he spoke with President Iohannis.

Shoukry presented Iohannis with a letter from El-Sisi inviting him "to visit Egypt at the earliest opportunity."

During the talks, Shoukry asserted that Egypt looks forward to "boosting historic ties with Romania," and that Cairo relies on Romania's support as it pushes ahead with tough economic reforms, saying Bucharest is one of its key alleys in the European Union.

The Romanian president invited El-Sisi to attend a presidential gathering on protecting youths against terrorism, which Romania is holding in September on the sidelines of a United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Shoukry and Iohannis discussed regional issues including the crises in Syria and Libya and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, as well as Egypt's counterterrorism efforts.

Bucharest is the third and last stop on Shoukry's European tour, which started on Sunday in Berlin, where he met German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel.

The second stop was in the Belarussian capital Minsk, where Shoukry delivered a letter from El-Sisi to President Alexander Lukashenka, and met on Monday with the country's ministers of trade and foreign affairs.