JERUSALEM: Israel’s tourism minister travelled to Saudi Arabia for a UN conference on Tuesday, his office said, describing the visit as the first public trip to the country by an Israeli cabinet member.

Haim Katz’s two-day visit to Riyadh comes as Saudi Arabia is pursuing a possible US-brokered deal that would forge formal bilateral relations with Israel.

Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank

“I will work to create collaborations to promote tourism and Israel’s foreign relations,” Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz said in a statement.

The Saudi government did not immediately confirm the visit.