President Mohamed Morsy will visit Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, following his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm. It will be his second visit to a foreign country as president.

Morsy will visit as the head of Egypt’s delegation at the African Summit on 15 and 16 July.

Ambassador Mona Omar, assistant foreign minister for African affairs, stressed the importance of Morsy’s participation in the next African Summit.

“President Morsy’s participation at the summit is a message to Africa and the world, stating that Egypt, in the era of the [second] presidency, intends to play an influential and active role in all African issues,” the ambassador told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

It will be the first time an Egyptian president has participated in an African summit in Addis Ababa since a failed assassination attempt on former President Hosni Mubarak in 1995, and the first since the African Union was replaced by the Organization of African Unity.

According to Omar, the president is expected to hold bilateral meetings with many African leaders at the summit, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

She pointed out that after the of the 25 January revolution, Zenawi  announced the signing of the Entebbe Agreement, which would govern the division of Nile water, would be postponed until a new president is elected in Egypt. The agreement was signed by six Nile Basin countries, but rejected by Egypt and Sudan.

Omar said the meeting between Morsy and Zenawi is a sign of Cairo’s genuine desire to reach out to Addis Ababa for closer cooperation in all fields. She said Cairo is seeking a compromise with all Nile Basin countries for the benefit of everyone.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm