Vladimir Putin met Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty

Vladimir Putin with Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty
Photo: Kremlin.ru

Vladimir Putin met with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates of the Arab Republic of Egypt Badr Abdelatty in the Kremlin.

Attending the talks on the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, while Egypt was represented by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation Hamdy Shaaban.

Photo: Kremlin.ru

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr Minister,

We are delighted to welcome you to Moscow. Just a couple of days ago, I had the pleasure of talking with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss both bilateral cooperation and the broader regional developments. At the same time, maintaining regular dialogue remains very important to us.

I know that you have a busy schedule of meetings with your Russian counterpart, Minister Lavrov, as well as with other senior Russian officials. I am confident that these engagements will contribute positively to the development of our bilateral relations.

We have a number of promising initiatives underway, many of which are already being implemented. I have previously spoken in detail about the construction of a nuclear power plant and an industrial zone, and over ten major Russian companies have expressed interest in participating in this project.

We have many additional matters worth discussing, including a grain and energy hub project in Egypt. There are many appealing opportunities in this regard.

I would also like to note that another Russia-Africa summit is planned for October. I hope that Egypt will be represented by a strong, high-level delegation. Should the Egyptian President’s schedule allow, we would, of course, be very pleased to welcome him to Moscow. Please convey our best wishes to him.

Naturally, the situation in the region remains a shared concern. We all hope that the ongoing conflict will be promptly resolved. As you know, President Trump also addressed this issue yesterday. Let me reiterate that we are prepared to make every effort to help stabilise the situation and, as they say in such cases, return it to normal.

In this context, it is particularly important for us to hear your perspective, as well as Egypt’s assessment as a key country in the Middle East.

We are very pleased to have you here. Welcome, Mr Minister.

Foreign Minister of Egypt Badr Abdelatty (retranslated):

Thank you, Mr President.

Mr President, first of all, I would like to convey President el-Sisi’s warmest regards to you personally, as well as to all our Russian friends. We place great value on all aspects of our bilateral cooperation.

We are grateful for our constructive collaboration on the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, which represents a key milestone in our partnership. Despite the challenges, it is evident that, thanks to your support, the project is moving forward. The President deeply appreciates your contribution and continued support during the implementation of the El Dabaa project.

We also have a second project aimed at establishing a Russian industrial zone in Egypt, which we consider highly significant. We rely on your continued support to help bring this project to fruition.

Mr President, you also mentioned the creation of an energy and grain hub in Egypt, initiatives that we value highly. We sincerely hope that Egypt will become both a grain hub and a centre for energy products, and we fully support these efforts.

Once again, Mr President, it is a great honour for us to be here with you today. We deeply appreciate your support in promoting energy and food security in Egypt and across our region. Your assistance is truly valued.

We confirm our participation in the Russia-Africa Summit scheduled for October this year. We sincerely hope that the acute phase of the developments in our region will soon subside, allowing our President to attend the summit in person.

President el-Sisi has asked me to convey to you, Mr President, that he is always very pleased to meet with you. I also have a written message from the President, which he instructed me to deliver to you personally. With your permission, I would like to present it to you now.

Vladimir Putin:

Of course, with pleasure, Mr Minister.

Following my recent telephone conversation with the President of Egypt, I instructed the Government to coordinate with our Egyptian colleagues on food supplies to Egypt, primarily our grain. Egypt is our partner in this area. I would like to note that last year we achieved strong results in agriculture and had a good harvest. We have no issues with supplies, and none are expected.

I understand that the Minister of Agriculture or the Deputy Prime Minister, with whom I discussed this and to whom I issued these instructions, should have already contacted their Egyptian counterpart. I would ask you to inform President el-Sisi about this matter.

Thank you.

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