Cairo - Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Monday discussed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the latest developments in the Middle East. Lavrov's visit to Egypt comes at a crucial time in which Egypt seeks to contain a number of regional issues besetting the Middle East, Shoukry said during a press conference with his Russian counterpart on Monday May 29, 2017. The visit also is a chance to review political and economic relations as well as the mutual keenness on boosting prospects of cooperation. The visit is a clear evidence of the high-level both countries have achieved, Shoukry said. He added that Monday's talks took up an exchange of views on the fields of cooperation and security situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Libya. Shoukry said confronting terrorism was also discussed. He added that the two countries agree on the need for adopting a comprehensive strategy aiming at uprooting terrorism in accordance with the vision put forward by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Riyadh Summit. The Minister affirmed that Egypt-Russia cooperation is indispensable for the complete elimination of this phenomenon. We also look forward to Russia's use of all available resources to work together to eliminate terrorism, he added. Shoukry said Egypt and Russia seek to preserve and develop their close relations in line with the international development. He praised the Egyptian-Russian two plus two (2+2) strategic talks as another verification of the strength of relations between the two countries. The foreign minister added that the talks dealt with all aspects of joint cooperation, describing them as promising, and on the way to achieve the best interests of the two countries.
