Mohamed Sabry Emam Muhammed
24 February 2016•Update: 25 February 2016
By Rabia al-Sokkary
CAIRO
Outgoing Israeli ambassador to Egypt Haim Koren has praised Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi as an "open-minded" leader.
"Israel respects President Sisi because he is an open-minded president who wants stability for Egypt and the entire region," Koren said, according to a statement published Tuesday on the embassy’s Arabic-language Facebook page.
Sisi "is fully aware of how the Middle East theater has changed and understands what Egypt and Israel are going through," the diplomat asserted.
Egypt was the first Arab country to recognize Israel after signing a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1979.
In 2012, former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi withdrew Egypt’s ambassador from Israel to protest a deadly Israeli military offensive against the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Last year, however, Sisi -- who came to power following Morsi’s ouster by the military -- sent an ambassador back to Israel.
Koren went on to say that Israel-Egypt cooperation should involve more than just security-related issues.
"We should have economic, cultural and investment relations... We must nurture this mentality from childhood in our schools," he added.
Despite the 1979 peace treaty, Israel is viewed in a negative light among much of the Egyptian public due to its heavy-handed treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Koren, however, stressed that "times have changed", saying "leaders must adapt to the new era".
Earlier this month, Israel appointed David Govrin, a former staff member at its Cairo embassy, to replace Koren, who asked to return home following a two-year stint in Egypt.
