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.
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.”