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CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry left for Slovenia on Sunday to lead his country’s delegation at a meeting of the two nations’ Joint Ministerial Committee for Economic Cooperation.

Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesman for the ministry, said Shoukry would discuss with senior Slovenian officials various matters regarding bilateral relations and ways to enhance them.

Shoukry will also hold discussions with his Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon on a number of regional and international issues of common interest, most notably the Palestinian issue on which Slovenia has adopted supportive positions clearly demonstrated since the beginning of the Gaza crisis.

Shoukry will also meet Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, Prime Minister Robert Golob, and Slovenia’s minister of economy and tourism, within the framework of coordination on ways to support and enhance bilateral cooperation.

The visit comes as part of the “qualitative shift witnessed in bilateral relations in recent years,” an official Egyptian statement said.

Slovenia’s president visited Egypt in December 2016 and the visit proved an important milestone in strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

Shoukry received a call from Fajon in June last year and the parties discussed economic and trade cooperation, and ways to develop it.

Slovenia and Egypt signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations in 1992.