US vice-president Mike Pence has told Egypt’s leader that the US would support a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians if the two sides agreed to it, seeking to reassure a key Arab ally over Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Pence was in Egypt on Saturday on the first leg of a three-country tour that includes stops in Jordan and Israel.

It is the highest-level visit by a US official to the region since December, when Trump upended decades of US policy on Jerusalem in a move opposed by Arab leaders including Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

“We heard President al-Sisi out,” Pence said after their meeting. He added that the Egyptian leader described his objection to Trump’s decision as a “disagreement between friends”.

Pence said he assured Sisi that the US was committed to preserving the status quo of holy sites in Jerusalem and had come to no final resolution on boundaries for the two parties.

“My perception was that he was encouraged by that message,” Pence said.

The Egyptian presidency said in a statement that Sisi noted that only negotiations based on a two-state solution could bring an end to the conflict, “and Egypt would spare no effort to support this”.

In his meeting with Egypt’s president, Pence pledged firm US backing in the nation’s fight against Islamist militants and said ties between the two countries had never been stronger after a period of “drifting apart”.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with you in Egypt in the fight against terrorism,” Pence told Sisi.

Egypt has faced security problems, including attacks by Isis militants in the North Sinai region. Trump has made the fight against Isis a top priority.

Though Pence intends to discuss counterterrorism issues throughout the trip, the Jerusalem decision remains a hot topic. Trump’s announcement, which also set in motion the process of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, prompted Palestinians to reject the US as a peace broker.

From Cairo, Pence headed to Jordan, where he will meet with King Abdullah, a close US ally. Abdullah warned against declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying it would have a dangerous impact on regional stability and obstruct US efforts to resume peace talks.

Pence will end his trip in Israel, where he will be warmly welcomed following Trump’s designation. He plans to meet the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, address the Israeli legislature and visit the Western Wall.

Pence is not scheduled to meet Palestinian leaders. They were incensed by Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, which upended the longstanding US position that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians must determine the city’s status.

“The United States of America is deeply committed to restarting the peace process in the Middle East,” Pence said after the meeting.

Pence also plans to visit US troops while he is in the region.