The Brazilian government announced on Friday that French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted an offer from his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to visit the country in the first half of 2024.

The announcement occurred after a phone chat between the two leaders during which they discussed the Middle East problem, agreeing that both countries will continue to look for methods to foster peace in the region, according to a government statement.

France earlier this week voted in favor of a Brazilian-drafted resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would have called for humanitarian pauses in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants to allow humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip.

The resolution, however, ended up vetoed by the United States.

“The two presidents agreed on the need for Hamas to immediately release hostages and on the terrible toll inflicted by the conflict on Palestinian and Israeli children,” Brazil’s presidential office said.

“They expressed concern about the risks of an escalation.”