Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held talks in Cairo on Sunday aiming at converging viewpoints between the two countries to bolster bilateral relations and regional and international developments of common interest.

In a joint press conference following the talks, Shoukry said there is a strong political will to boost cooperation in various economic and political fields, adding that the discussions tackled the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.

Mnatsakanyan said the relations between his country and Egypt and the Arab world is one based on friendship, as a part of the Middle East.

He delivered an invitation from the Armenian president to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to visit Armenia soon, praising Egypt’s role in supporting a free trade agreement between the two states and the European Union.

The Armenian foreign minister also stressed on the importance of respecting the sovereignty of states and working towards peace and stability in the East Mediterranean and North Africa, describing it as the same aim for peace sought in South Caucasus region.

He also affirmed his country’s support to Cyprus and Greece for investments in economic zones amid an ongoing rift with Turkey.

Tensions in the region have escalated in the past months over Ankara's military intervention in war-torn Libya, its violation of Iraq's sovereignty, as well as Ankara's hunt for gas in the eastern Mediterranean in violation of the territorial waters of Greece and Cyprus, two close allies of Egypt.