CAIRO/ ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held talks on Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral relations and regional developments.

The discussions were held in Cairo on the sidelines of Lavrov’s participation in the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum hosted by Egypt.

Sisi expressed appreciation for “the trajectory of the strategic relations between Egypt and Russia, which continue to witness steady growth across the political, economic, and commercial domains,” a presidency statement said.

Sisi underlined the importance of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in exploring ways to deepen partnership between African countries and Russia.

Lavrov, for his part, expressed “Russia’s aspiration to work with the Egyptian side to further promote the strategic relations between the two countries to broader prospects.”

The discussions also addressed a host of regional and international issues, including the situation in Gaza, Sudan and Libya, where Sisi and Lavrov stressed the need to stabilize the Gaza ceasefire, prevent regional escalation, and preserve the sovereignty, territorial integrity and resources of states.

The talks also covered developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict.

Lavrov began a visit to Egypt on Friday to participate in the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, which kicked off Saturday with the attendance of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, officials from 50 African countries, and heads of regional organizations.