Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Egypt next week to discuss expanding political, economic, energy and trade ties, officials said Thursday. The Egyptian government said Putin’s visit reflects the shared commitment to “strengthening the historic and strategic relations” between Moscow and Cairo. Putin’s visit follows the Russian government’s announcement last week that Moscow and Cairo have drafted an agreement for Russian warplanes to use Egyptian military bases. Under al-Sisi, Egypt has expanded military ties with Russia and signed a slew of deals to buy Russian weapons. On a visit to Cairo last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted an increase in military cooperation between the two countries and emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Source: Egypt Independent December 07, 2017 16:41 UTC