Egyptian FM meets with his Russian counterpart in Morocco

CAIRO – 20 December 2023: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry met Wednesday his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the sixth session of Russian-Arab Cooperation Protocol held in Morocco's Marrakesh.

Minister Shokry tackled various aspects of bilateral cooperation and joint developmental projects, mainly the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant and the Russian Industrial Zone (RIZ) located in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCzone).

The minister also expressed Egypt's eagerness for maintaining the flow of Russian tourists into the country. Further, he lauded the outstanding cooperation and coordination between the two countries on the level of the international community, and the reciprocal support to each other's candidates running for international positions.

The foreign minister displayed the efforts Egypt deployed to end the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip, which has incurred tens of thousands of casualties among civilians. In that context, he underscored the salience of an immediate ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian aid, and a radical solution to the Palestinian Cause by establishing a Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967 having as capital Eastern Jerusalem.

The Egyptian and Russian ministers exchanged views on issues of joint concern, including the crises in Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Syria. Equally, Minister Shokry expressed hope that a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis would be achieved given its negative humanitarian, political and economic impact on the regional and international levels, precisely the Egyptian economy.

On his side, Minister Lavrov commended the cooperation between the two countries in various fields, highlighting the remarkable increase in trade exchange and expressing aspiration that collaboration would grow in all sectors. He further affirmed that the mutual support between the two states would persist.