Speaker of Egyptian People's Assembly declines invitation to Tel Aviv

The speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly, Dr Saad El Katatni, has declined an invitation to visit Tel Aviv from his Israeli counterpart; Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin.
 
On Thursday, January 26, Katatni announced that he refuses to visit Israel and also rejects any visit by Rivlin to Egypt.

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In a similar context, the speaker of the Turkish parliament, Cemil Çiçek, also rejected an invitation to visit Tel Aviv from Rivlin, saying that he would only visit the Knesset when Turkish-Israeli relations “become more favourable”.
 
On Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry congratulated Egypt on the inauguration of its first post-revolutionary parliament, saying it hoped Cairo would “uphold the importance of peace and stability.”