Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy travelled to Algeria on Sunday, marking the start of his two-day visit. Fahmy's visit comes in the context of "continuous consultation" between Algeria and Egypt, and the foreign minister will meet with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry. Lamamra and Fahmy are scheduled to discuss a "number of Arab, African, and international issues" including the Syrian civil war and the "need to work together to reach a political solution to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people and preserve the Syrian state and its territorial integrity". The two will also discuss the status of Palestine and certain issues that concern North Africa and "which threaten the security of the two countries," including the situation in Mali and recent developments in South Sudan. The countries' representatives will both discuss Libyan border issues, according to Fahmy following his Sunday afternoon arrival to the Algerian capital. Fahmy added that the meeting came as part of consultations with "brotherly and friendly countries like Algeria, which have common interests regionally and on the international level." The Egyptian minister said that Algeria had supported Egypt's 3 July transition and that the two also shared many of the same positions on a number of regional and international issues. The Egyptian ministry added that representatives from Egypt and Algeria would discuss issues including reform of the United Nations and regional disarmament. The foreign ministers will also discuss bilateral issues, including ways to boost trade and investment between the two nations. Last Wednesday, Lamamra stressed the "importance of [Egypt's] ‘natural' standing within the African Union". "There must be a sharp distinction between the internal situation in Egypt and the international role of the country," added Lamamra in a television interview, adding that there existed a "lack of understanding of some of Algeria's positions". The Algerian minister said that Algeria was "trying to help Egypt overcome difficulties," calling on groups in the country to be "patient and remember our history," adding that "the principle of non-interference does not mean indifference". Lamamra also said that a group of diplomats were preparing a report to present to the African Union to "indicate what critical steps" have been made to enable Egypt to regain its previous position in the African Union. Egypt was suspended from the African Union's Peace and Security Council two days after former president Mohamed Morsi was removed from power, saying the ouster fell "under the definition of an unconstitutional change of government". The council suspended Egypt from all union activities, and Egypt has sent delegations to African nations to lobby for the lifting of the suspension.
