A spokesman from Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed to the Times of Israel that the senior-level delegation led by a former deputy ambassador to the UN had attended the week-long 9th World Urban Forum (WUF).

David Roet, who entered Malaysia with an Israeli diplomatic passport, also met with Malaysian officials during the forum, the report said.

In a series of tweets, Roet said the visit was a “unique experience”, adding that he was “proud to have led Israel’s official delegation”.

“I have great hopes for good relations between our two countries in the future,” he added.

Malaysia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. Putrajaya also recently condemned US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

But Roet said he found “many similarities” between the two countries, praising what he called “a multifaceted society of people from different backgrounds working together for a better future”.

He gave the example of the popularity of traffic navigation app Waze, which was developed by Israel-based Waze Mobile.

WUF, attended by delegates from 185 countries, ends today. It is hosted by the United Nations Human Settlements Program, known as UN-Habitat.

Malaysia is required to grant visas to all delegations in order to hold the conference.

In 2015, Malaysia refused to allow two Israeli windsurfers to compete at the Youth Sailing World Championships, a move criticised by the sport’s world body World Sailing.