President El-Sisi Meets Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov

alhadath – cairo

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mr. Sergey Lavrov, in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Dr. Badr Abdelatty. From the Russian side, Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Sergey Vershinin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Cairo Mr. Georgy Borisenko, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Alexander Kinshak, and Director of a section in the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Mikhail Dzhirgeniya.

Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said the President started the meeting by asking for his greetings to be conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President El-Sisi expressed his appreciation for the trajectory of the strategic relations between Egypt and Russia, which continue to witness steady growth across the political, economic, and commercial domains. The President highlighted the importance of further strengthening joint cooperation, particularly with regard to the establishment of the Russian Industrial Zone within the Suez Canal Economic Zone, El‑Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant project, as well as other dossiers of strategic cooperation between the two countries.

The Russian Foreign Minister conveyed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s greetings and appreciation to President El-Sisi, expressing Russia’s aspiration to work with the Egyptian side to further promote the strategic relations between the two countries to broader prospects. Mr. Lavrov affirmed Russia’s commitment to building upon the understandings reached between the two Presidents during President El-Sisi’s visit to Russia in May 2025, with a view to advancing bilateral relations.

The President valued the convening of the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum, hosted by Egypt. The President underscored the importance of the conference as an opportunity to explore avenues for deepening the partnership between African countries and the Russian Federation, including through the enhancement of economic and developmental cooperation in pursuit of the shared interests of both sides. He further emphasized that such efforts would contribute to strengthening peace and stability across the African continent and to advancing the implementation of Agenda 2063.

The Russian Minister expressed his appreciation to Egypt for hosting the Ministerial Conference, noting that Russia looks forward to convening the third edition of the conference in 2026. He conveyed Russia’s aspiration to hold a Russia–Arab States Summit during the coming year.

The meeting reviewed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the situations in the Gaza Strip, Sudan, and Libya. It was emphasized that there is a pressing need to bring an end to the war in Gaza, to consolidate the ceasefire, and to prevent further escalation in the region, while safeguarding the sovereignty of states as well as the integrity of their territories, and the resources of their peoples. The Russian Foreign Minister expressed his country’s appreciation for Egypt’s role in supporting stability in the Middle East, commending the ongoing coordination and political consultations between the two countries. Mr. Lavrov also underscored the vital need to intensify such consultations on issues of common interest.

The talks also focused on developments in the Russian–Ukrainian crisis and ongoing efforts to resolve it. President El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s support for all initiatives aimed at ending the crisis through political solutions, stressing Egypt’s readiness to provide all necessary support to international efforts in this regard.