Beginning of conversation with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, friends,
Allow me to once again warmly welcome you in Russia, this time in an official setting. I would like to thank you for accepting our invitation and coming to visit. Thank you.
I am especially pleased to note that your visit to this country is practically your first trip outside the Arab world after your election to the post of President. This, obviously, stresses the special nature of our relations, which date back decades. We value these relations very highly and are happy to see you here, Mr President.
President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (retranslated): I am very grateful to you, Mr President. Let me thank you for being the first to congratulate me on my election to the post of President of Egypt. You, Mr President, are also the first one outside the Arab world to invite me to visit. I was happy to accept your invitation. This is my first foreign trip after my visit to Saudi Arabia.
I would like to stress that the entire Egyptian people is following my visit to the Russian Federation and is expecting a lot from cooperation between our countries. Therefore, I believe we will meet the expectations of the Egyptian people.
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