Former UK prime minister Tony Blair arrived in Cairo on Monday for a two-day visit to discuss the regional situation with Egyptian officials, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Tony Blair was appointed head of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, a non-governmental organisation founded in 2008 that campaigns against religious and political extremism in Europe.

"It is envisaged to be an opinion-making and advisory body on international tolerance promotion, reconciliation and education," according to the organisation's website.

Blair met with Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, in November to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the latest developments in the region.

Blair stepped down in late May from his position as envoy of The Quartet, made up of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia, established in 2002 to help mediate peace negotiations in the Middle East.