Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev hailed on Tuesday Egypt’s efforts in economic reform and combating terrorism during meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Moscow, spokesperson to the Egyptian presidency Bassam Rady said.

El-Sisi arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day trip, his second official visit to the country.

El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s appreciation for the warm reception he has received in Russia, and highlighted the importance of Egyptian-Russian relations, which date back 75 years.

The Egyptian president praised the level of cooperation between the two countries on several fronts over the past five years, including a number of giant projects currently being implemented in Egypt by the two states.

The president highlighted the under-construction Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt as well as the Russian industrial area in the Suez Canal Zone, which is considered the first such Russian undertaking of its kind outside Russia, the spokesperson said.

The president added that the next phase of cooperation is expected to surpass the investment stage and venture into joint manufacturing.

The Russian PM expressed during the meeting his country’s pride of the historical ties between the two nations.

Medvedev hailed Egypt's economic reform programme and and development projects in all the fields, and stressed his country’s keenness to support Egypt’s development efforts and help it in all areas through exchanging expertise and joint investments.

Medvedev also praised Egypt’s role in maintaining stability in the Middle East, its fight against terrorism and its support for peaceful resolutions for the ongoing crises in the region.

The two officials also discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. They also spoke about bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of culture and tourism, the localisation of industries, cooperation in railways and energy, and increasing trade exchange.

El-Sisi told Medvedev that Russian industries have the opportunity to have a presence in the Egyptian market and benefit from the modern infrastructure in Egypt, which it can use to access other African markets, especially in light of Egypt's presidency of the African Union in 2019.

El-Sisi is expected to meet informally on Tuesday night then formally on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin, where the two leaders are expected to sign a range of bilateral agreements.

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