JERUSALEM (AP) — Egypt's foreign minister will visit Israel in the first such visit in nearly a decade.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will meet Sameh Shoukry later Sunday. He called the visit "important" and said it reflected the positive change in Israel-Egypt relations. The last visit of an Egyptian foreign minister was in 2007.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry says the visit is aimed at reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Shoukry visited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank last month.

After decades of wars followed by years of uneasy peace, Israel has emerged as a discreet ally to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Israel often praises el-Sissi for his tough stance on militants, and considers him a key ally in what it sees as a shared battled against Islamic extremists.