Russian Foreign Ministry praises ‘dynamic, strategic’ relations with Egypt - Report

CAIRO – 27 August 2020: The Russian Foreign Ministry praised the current level of Russian-Egyptian bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said, in an official report, that both countries are keen on enhancing bilateral ties, ensuring that they are enjoying dynamic strategic relations despite the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The report marks the 77th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relations between Egypt and Russia. It emphasized that both countries maintain an intense political dialogue and close contact on ministerial and agencies level, noting that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi chaired the first Russian-African summit in October in 2019.

The report further explained that Egypt and Russia are cooperating actively in the United Nations and other international organizations, noting that “Egypt is the largest commercial and economic partner of Russia in the Arab world and Africa, as the value of bilateral trade reached US $6.2 billion in 2019, that is, nearly a third of the trade volume between Russia and the African continent.”

It also named the largest projects, which are currently ongoing, including the construction of the Dabaa nuclear power plant, where the required regulatory framework has been drawn up, stressing that work is progressing on designing the plant and preparing the site for construction works according to the specified time frame.

Egypt and Russia announced that the year 2020 is the year of humanitarian cooperation; however, both countries agreed to postpone related events until the last quarter of this year due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.  

The report explained that during the 1990s, long-term agreements, which laid the foundation for the successful development of bilateral relations, were signed. This includes: intergovernmental agreements in the fields of trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, air services, cultural and scientific cooperation, joint efforts to combat crime, incentives and mutual protection of investments.

The report pointed out that a protocol for cooperation and strategic dialogue was signed between the foreign ministries of both Egypt and Russia in September 2004 during the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Egypt.

The foreign ministers of both countries regularly hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of international and regional meetings, and the sessions of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.