Israeli PM, Egyptian president agree to meet "soon" in phone call

JERUSALEM, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made a phone call on Sunday and agreed to meet "soon," Lapid's office said in a statement.

The two leaders focused on U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming trip to the Middle East and noted "the need for calm" for the Palestinian issue, according to the statement.

Referring to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel signed in 1979, they described the agreement as "the foundation for the two countries' strategic relations and a central pillar of regional stability."

They also expressed their "commitment to continuing to develop relations, especially in the economic sphere."

Biden is scheduled to visit Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia between July 13 and 16. The U.S. president said in a statement in late June that his trip aims partly to "deepen Israel's integration in the region."

Israel hopes that the visit could lead to some improvement in its ties with Saudi Arabia as the two countries have no diplomatic relations.