Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Egypt on 9 February for a two-day visit by invitation of his Egyptian counterpart President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, according to the presidential spokesman Wednesday.

The leaders will discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on the current regional situation especially the situation in Iraq and Syria. They will also discuss ways to push forward the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis.

This is the first visit for Putin to Egypt since 2005. The visit is closely linked to talks that took place between the two presidents during Al-Sisi’s visit to the Russian resort of Sochi in August 2014.

During that meeting, the pair exchanged views about the Middle East situation, and engaged in discussions on the “development of economic and trade relations” and in the sectors of tourism, education, culture and science.