Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will pay a state visit to Pakistan on March 18 at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

President Morsi is the first civilian, democratically and freely elected President of Egypt to visit Pakistan.

The last bilateral visit was by late Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1960s.

The Egyptian President will be leading a high powered delegation, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The engagements of the Egyptian President would include one-on- one meeting with the Pakistani President, followed by delegation level talks and banquet/luncheon hosted by the Pakistani President.

The two leaders are expected to hold extensive discussions on all areas of bilateral relations including regional and international issues of mutual interest, the Foreign Ministry said.

They would also be signing a number of agreements, it said.

"President Morsi's visit to Islamabad is being seen as a watershed and a landmark in the traditional and friendly relations between the two large and important Muslim countries," the Foreign Ministry said.

President Morsi's decision to choose Pakistan as the first South Asian country for a bilateral visit manifests Egypt's desire to add a new chapter to its bilateral ties with Pakistan, it added.

President Morsi's visit is expected to impart dynamism to the bilateral ties and to expand, diversify and strengthen relations between the two countries in all spheres, the statement said.

On arrival at the military airbase near Islamabad, President Morsi would be welcomed by a 21-Gun Salute and at the Presidency by a Guard of Honour.

President Morsi was earlier scheduled to visit Pakistan to attend a summit in November last year but had to postpone the visit in view of escalations in Gaza.