After a detailed discussion of the situation in the Middle East, Mr Putin and Mr Mubarak expressed support for defusing the crisis in Israeli-Palestinian relations and the early achievement by the sides of a mutually acceptable agreement on a final settlement.
Mr Mubarak repeated the earlier invitation for President Putin to visit Egypt. The Russian President accepted the invitation with gratitude and noted that he viewed joint efforts with Egypt in many fields as one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities in the Middle East. It was agreed that the date for the 2001 visit would be fixed through diplomatic channels.
Mr Mubarak conveyed to the Russian President and all the Russian people his seasonal greetings on the upcoming New Year.