Attending the meeting on the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office – Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Industry and Trade, Russian Co-chair of the Joint Russian-Egyptian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Anton Alikhanov, Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev, Head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare Anna Popova, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces – Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev, and Director General of Rosoboronexport Alexander Mikheyev.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President,
Friends,
We are genuinely happy to see you all in Moscow at the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
As is well known, Egypt was a scene of some major battles during the war. The country became a foothold for our allies in the anti-Hitler Coalition in North Africa. In February 1945, Egypt officially declared war on the Axis, and so it is among the victorious states.
Our common fight against Nazism contributed to the establishment of ties between our countries. It is symbolic that the Soviet Union and Egypt established diplomatic relations precisely during the war, in August 1943, after Hitler troops were defeated at the Kursk Bulge.
Today, Russian-Egyptian relations are on the upswing. Our cooperation is multifaceted and based on the provisions of the Treaty on comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.
We maintain regular and substantive political dialogue. We held our previous meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024 where your country participated for the first time as a full-fledged member.
Egypt is among Russia’s key partners in Africa. Last year, trade rose by over 30 percent to reach a record-breaking US$9 billion whereas in the first two months of this year it grew by over 80 percent more.
An intergovernmental Russian-Egyptian commission is active. Major joint projects are being continued and we firmly believe that we will move on in all those areas. Our nations coordinate their approaches to current international issues including the Middle East.
Mr President, friends, we are glad to have this opportunity to discuss with you these and many other current issues and areas or Russia-Egypt interaction.
Once again, welcome.
President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (retranslated): Thank you very much, Mr President.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful!
Mr President, allow me first of all to express my joy from meeting you again. I appreciate the warm reception and hospitality. Let me congratulate you and friendly Russian people on the anniversary of the Great Victory in the Great Patriotic War. It is a great honour for me to attend these ceremonies.
I would like to say that it all lies within the context of our strategic partnership. We are stepping up our interaction and our political consultations. I am very hopeful that the intergovernmental commission will have a successful meeting on May 12–14.
Mr President, thank you very much once again for the hospitality. Let me congratulate you once again, on my own behalf and on behalf of our delegation and the Egyptian people, on the Victory anniversary.
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