Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry discussed in a phone call on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov the latest developments in the Middle East peace process and the situation in Palestine, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The two FMs discussed the recent visits to Moscow by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Egypt’s ongoing talks with international and regional powers to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

During his visit to Moscow, Palestinian President Abbas said that he did not want the United States to serve as a mediator in the peace process because of what he described as the country’s pro-Israel bias, which is evident from US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Cairo as part of a five-country tour in the Middle East, where he discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and other Egyptian officials.

Shoukry and Lavrov also discussed the latest developments in Syria, particularly the outcome of the recent Syrian talks in Sochi.

The two FMs also agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Munich security conference later this week.

Shoukry is currently in Madrid on a two-day visit where he will meet Spanish officials.