Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, has discussed with the Egyptian Ambassador to Moscow Nazih el-Nagari the issues of the Middle East, focusing on the development of the military and political situation in Sudan, Yemen and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone.
"During the conversation the main attention was paid to the current issues of the Middle East with a focus on the development of the military-political situation in Sudan, Yemen and in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement added that during the meeting, "the Russian side expressed its gratitude for the assistance provided by the Egyptian partners in ensuring the safe evacuation of Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip."
The Middle East has recently been the focus of global concern with an increasing number of conflicts. The Israeli-Palestinian escalation has sparked tensions in the region, with Yemen's Houthis getting involved by detaining all ships in the Red Sea that they see as Israeli-linked. This was followed by joint US and UK strikes on Yemen. Meanwhile, Sudan has been embroiled in an internal armed conflict since last April.
The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the parties also touched upon some practical issues of Russian-Egyptian multifaceted cooperation, including the implementation of large-scale joint economic and investment projects.
The meeting was held at the request of the Egyptian side. Earlier on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi participated via video conference in the opening ceremony of the construction of the fourth unit of the el-Dabaa nuclear power plant, which is expected to cover 10% of Egypt's energy consumption.
In his speech, Putin said that Egypt is Russia's close friend and strategic partner, adding that he expects President el-Sisi to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in 2024. The Russian leader also noted that cooperation between Moscow and Cairo continues to develop steadily.