Russian President Meets With His Egyptian Counterpart

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg.

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Putin said that relations between the two countries have acquired a special character over the years, and "achieved great success." In this regard, he recalled that soon Egypt and Russia will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The Russian president also referred to the commercial exchange between the two countries which has experienced "significant growth," Putin said, highlighting the existing "promising projects" that both nations have in various sectors. 

For his part, his counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed that Egypt is interested in the development of bilateral cooperation. "We are always positive with all initiatives, including those from your side, concerning bilateral cooperation and interaction on the African continent. Obviously, we are interested in strengthening bilateral cooperation with Russia in various areas," El-Sisi said.

On this occasion, the President of Egypt thanked Russia for its support to the African country in the creation of the Dabaa nuclear power plant, the first in Egypt. He described it as a "gigantic and pioneering project."

El-Sisi also highlighted Russia's support in the establishment of other projects, including Russian industrial energy.  "[The project to build] the El Dabaa nuclear power plant and the establishment of the Russian industrial zone are central to our cooperation," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian president met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and BRICS New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff. These meetings are being held ahead of the second Russia-Africa summit, which will take place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on July 27-28. 

The motto is "For peace, security and development", the same as the first such summit held in the Russian city of Sochi in 2019.