Islamabad: Egyptian Foreign Minister (FM) Badr Abdelatty has invited Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and FM Ishaq Dar to visit Egypt as both sides seek to strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation.

The invitation was extended during a telephone conversation between Abdelatty and Dar on Sunday, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Office.

The two ministers discussed Pakistan Egypt bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments. They also reaffirmed their commitment to continued engagement on regional security matters.

Abdelatty invited Dar to undertake a bilateral visit to Egypt at his earliest convenience. The two sides also agreed to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later this month.

The proposed visit follows Abdelatty’s official visit to Pakistan in November last year, during which he held meetings with senior Pakistani officials and discussed defence and security cooperation, military exchanges, training and regional stability.

Pakistan and Egypt have also been seeking to expand economic ties. During Abdelatty’s previous visit, Dar highlighted the need to increase business to business engagement between the two countries, noting that bilateral trade remained below the level of their broader relationship.

The two countries have taken steps to deepen cooperation in other areas as well. In May, Pakistani and Egyptian officials agreed to strengthen cooperation between their interior ministries and launch joint training programmes for police officers.

Pakistan and Egypt are also members of the Regional Four group, alongside Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The group has focused on regional security and mediation efforts.

The planned ministerial meeting at the UNGA is expected to provide another opportunity for Pakistan and Egypt to discuss bilateral relations and regional security issues.