Egyptian President, Israeli Prime Minister discuss fostering their bilateral relations

Over the phone on Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed strengthening bilateral ties and advancing regional security, Azernews reports citing Xinhua.

The leaders expressed a desire to advance bilateral ties "in all areas, including in light of developments in the regional and international arenas," according to a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

According to the statement, they emphasized "the importance of promoting peace, stability, and security for the benefit of both peoples and all Middle Eastern countries."

Three days after taking the helm of an extreme-right coalition government, Netanyahu held the discussion.

The first peace treaty Israel signed with an Arab country was with Egypt in 1979, but relations between the two nations have remained chilly and distant ever since.