MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2020) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, have discussed the pressing issues prevailing in the middle East over the phone instead of meeting in person, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
"An exchange of views was held on issues of the regional and international agenda, with an emphasis on coordinating efforts to resolve crisis situations in the Middle East and North Africa, including in Libya and Syria, through political and diplomatic means," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the conversation took place on Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry noted that Lavrov and Shoukry also discussed the prospects for strengthening bilateral relations as part of the treaty on comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and Egypt signed in 2018.
The Egyptian foreign minister arrived in Moscow on Tuesday. His meeting with Lavrov, who self-isolated after returning from Greece due to contact with a coronavirus-positive person, was canceled.
The 2018 Russia-Egypt agreement stipulates that Moscow and Cairo will support the development of cooperation in trade, economic, military-technical fields, as well as partner up in such sectors as communication technologies, nuclear energy, transport, mining, tourism, science, education and cultural affairs.
Additionally, under the agreement, Moscow and Cairo will coordinate actions and unite efforts to address challenges and threats to regional and international peace and security.
