The foreign minister of Egypt is embarking on his inaugural visit to Iran in order to participate in the funeral ceremony of the country’s president

The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, traveled to Tehran on Wednesday to attend the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who tragically passed away in a helicopter accident on Sunday. This information was confirmed by the foreign ministry in a statement.

The Egyptian foreign minister’s travel to Iran is the inaugural visit of its kind, as reported by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The relationship between Egypt and Iran has been tense in recent decades, despite the fact that the two nations have maintained official communications.

In September of last year, the foreign ministers of both nations convened during the United Nations summit in New York. Raisi, who was also present at the U.N. General Assembly, expressed that the meeting had the potential to facilitate the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister who also perished in the accident, had recently convened with his Egyptian counterpart in Gambia during a session for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The two ministers engaged in a discussion regarding initiatives to enhance bilateral relations and the most recent advancements in the region, with particular focus on the ongoing circumstances in Gaza.