Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu agreed on the importance of adhering to political solutions to different crises in the region, during a meeting in Cairo. In an official statement, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said El-Sisi discussed boosting military cooperation and joint training between the two countries during a meeting with Shoygu. The Russian defence minister arrived in Cairo on Monday with an accompanying delegation to attend the sixth meeting of the Egyptian-Russian Committee for Military and Technical Cooperation. The meeting also saw discussions on the latest updates related to a number of regional crises, including Syria and Libya. The two men affirmed the need to preserve the unity of the state and the territorial integrity and the coherence of national institutions. El-Sisi and Shoygu stressed the importance of boosting consultation and coordination channels on various regional issues of bilateral interest, in light of challenges in the Middle East, especially as the implications extend beyond the region. The Russian defence minister stressed the importance of consolidating the military and security aspects under the framework of joint cooperation relations between the two countries, especially in combating terrorism and extremism. He also praised Egyptian efforts in “defeating this pandemic,” pointing to the necessity of concrete endeavours to push forward with constructive mechanisms to combat transnational challenges. Egyptian Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki also met with his Russian counterpart and his accompanying delegation. They discussed boosting cooperation in light of positive relations between the two countries, exchanging also viewpoints towards regional and international developments and their effects on the security and stability of the Middle East and North Africa.
