Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry asserted on Tuesday the importance of the participation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the opening ceremony of the New Suez Canal.

"It is of importance that President Abbas attends this occasion that we regard as an Egyptian and Palestinian occasion," Shoukry told reporters following his meeting with Abbas in Cairo.

Egypt will inaugurate the new waterway on Thursday, which will massively increase the capacity of the existing canal and offer an important opportunity to boost the country’s struggling economy.