ANKARA

United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Egypt on Wednesday for an unscheduled visit.

The visit came shortly after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Saudi Arabia, for the first visit to the kingdom since 2011.

Bin Zayed was welcomed at Cairo Airport by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the state news agency WAM reported.

The Egyptian Presidency confirmed bin Zayed’s arrival in Cairo, but without providing any further details.

The Syrian regime began to exchange official visits and contacts with several Arab countries in recent years amid reports about a possible resumption of Syria’s membership in the Cairo-based Arab League.

*Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report.