President El-Sisi Meets Russia’s Director of Foreign Intelligence Service

alhadath – cairo

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, Sergei Naryshkin. The meeting was attended by Director of the General Intelligence Service, Major General Hassan Rashad.

Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy stated that the President requested his greetings to be conveyed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and expressed his appreciation for the current trajectory of Egyptian-Russian relations. President El-Sisi emphasized Egypt’s keenness on further advancing bilateral relations in various fields and enhancing political and security consultations, in a way that fulfills the aspirations of the two friendly peoples and achieves international and regional peace and stability.

The Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service conveyed the greetings and appreciation of Russian President Putin to President El-Sisi. He underscored the strategic nature of relations between the two countries, reaffirming the Russian leadership’s keenness on strengthening cooperation in all fields, including trade and investment. He further stressed his country’s pride in the ongoing partnership in the establishment of the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant.

The meeting also touched on a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service listened to the President’s vision regarding developments in the Middle East and Egypt’s efforts to preserve regional peace and stability.

In this context, the President underscored the indispensability of consolidating the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and implementing the provisions of its second phase, particularly providing unfettered access for humanitarian aid, as well as the swift commencement of early recovery and reconstruction in the Strip.

For his part, Mr. Naryshkin expressed his country’s deep appreciation for the efforts undertaken by Egypt and President El-Sisi to end the war, reject the displacement of the population of the Gaza Strip, and facilitate the entry of necessary humanitarian aid.

The meeting reiterated the necessity of enhancing joint action between Egypt and Russia to avoid new rounds of escalation in the region. The two sides agreed on intensifying political consultations and coordination between the relevant authorities in both countries to reduce tensions and reach peaceful solutions to regional and international crises.