Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry will fly to Washington on 21 July to participate in the ministerial meeting of the international coalition against the Islamic State militant group, a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry said. In an official statement, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the Egyptian foreign minister received a phone call from US Secretary of State John Kerry during the former's visit to Rwanda's Kijali, where he is attending the 27th round of the African Union (AU) Summit. A meeting will be held between the two officials during Shoukry's visit to the US, where bilateral relations and various regional issues will be discussed. Kerry also discussed with Shoukry the outcomes of the latter's visit to Israel and the efforts made to encourage the Palestinians and Israelis to resume the peace process. On Sunday, during the first visit to Israel by an Egyptian foreign minister since 2007, Shoukry reiterated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Egypt is a "steadfast and unwavering" supporter of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Egyptian foreign minister stressed that the two-state solution is supported by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and other state officials. Egypt is currently supporting the Paris peace initiative aimed at reviving negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis. source: Ahram Online
