Egypt hosted Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Cairo on Sunday to discuss political and economic relations and stress the urgent need for what the minister said are peacemakers to “draw the red lines to war.”

Mnatsakanyan led an Armenian delegation filled with current and former ambassadors to Egypt. The officials were hosted by Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. The visit was the first by Mnatsakanyan to the Middle East in his role since his appointment in 2018, and it started in Egypt, reflecting the two countries' deeply rooted and still-growing relations.

The ministers discussed enhanced political dialogue across the IT sector, e-governance, pharmaceuticals, tourism and education.

Why it matters:  Relations between Egypt and Armenia go back over 100 years to when Egypt and other Arab states welcomed Armenians fleeing repression and genocide in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. Today, there are thousands of Armenians living in Egypt, Mnatsakanyan said, and he applauded the ability to maintain their national identity, language and traditions.