Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is set to fly on Sunday to Budapest, Hungary to participate in the Visegrad Group summit on Monday, the first participation by a Middle Eastern and African country.

The Visegrad Group – which constitutes Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic – was formed in 1991 with the aim of having member countries work together in a “number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration,” according to the group’s website.

Presidency spokesman Alaa Youssef said in a statement that Egypt is the third non-member state to be invited to participate in a Visegrad Group summit – after Japan and Germany.

El-Sisi is set to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to discuss bolstering relations in economic, political, and cultural fields in the upcoming period.

Talks about cooperation in the field of transportation, especially in relation to supporting and developing Egyptian railways, are also to take place. Egypt’s transport minister Hisham Arafat will be part of the Egyptian delegation accompanying the president.

Youssef said that Egypt aims to benefit from the large industrial base of the four Visegrad Group countries, as well as attract new investments and tourists from Central Europe. 

El-Sisi will discuss with the leaders of the four countries Egypt’s vision on combating terrorism and drying out its resources, as well as stopping irregular migration to Europe.

This is the second visit by the Egyptian president to Hungary since 2015.

Orbán visited Cairo last year, where he and El-Sisi discussed bolstering ties in all fields and promoting economic cooperation and investment.