President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi was among 20 world leaders who attended the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in Red square in the Russian capital Moscow on 9 May. The president was invited by President Vladimir Putin to attend the celebrations and military parade.
Victory Day marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II and is Russia’s most revered secular holiday. Egyptian military police forces participated in the parade, alongside forces from several other countries.
During his meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the celebrations, President Al-Sisi praised the strengthening of ties between Egypt and Russia, highlighting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement that the two countries signed in 2018. He also emphasised the strength of the longstanding partnership and friendship between Egypt and Russia. He noted that the two nations maintain close coordination on multiple international issues and seek to expand cooperation in key sectors, including through the Russian Industrial City in the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the construction of the Dabaa nuclear power plant west of Alexandria.
Al-Sisi and Putin held expanded talks with their respective delegations, according to Presidential Spokesperson Mohamed Al-Shennawi. Putin opened by expressing gratitude for Al-Sisi’s participation in this year’s celebrations, which reflects the solid and historical relations between the two countries.
The two presidents underlined the importance of deepening cooperation in key sectors such as industry, mining, energy, agriculture, and food security. They also stressed the need to activate coordination with international economic forums, particularly the BRICS bloc.
The two leaders agreed to increase the number of Russian tourists visiting Egypt by promoting new Egyptian tourist attractions in Russia. Around one million Russian tourists visited Egypt in 2022.
“Today Russia-Egypt relations are developing successfully. Our cooperation is diversified, based on the provisions of the treaty on comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. Egypt is Russia’s key partner in Africa.”
The talks also addressed developments in regional and international issues of common interest. The two presidents underlined the importance of restoring stability in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and the need to exert greater efforts to prevent further escalation in the region.
Today Moscow and Cairo foster regular and meaningful political dialogue, said Putin. “Our two countries coordinate approaches to relevant international issues, including the situation in the Middle East.”
The presidential spokesperson said the two leaders covered the latest developments in Syria, Libya, and Sudan, and the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian crisis, with President Al-Sisi stressing Egypt’s stance, calling for diplomatic solutions to international crises that preserve global peace and security.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said President Al-Sisi’s visit to Moscow reflects the new doctrine of Egypt’s foreign policy, based on commitment to multi-polar diplomacy. “We are adopting a flexible foreign policy, open to dealing with all global powers as long as this serves Egyptian national interests,” said Abdelatty.
He explained that Egypt is seeking to diversify its alliances in an increasingly multi-polar world. “We have strong relations with the US and EU, and at the same time we are forging closer political, economic, and military ties with other world powers, particularly Russia and China.”
According to Abdelatty, the fact that President Al-Sisi was one of only 20 world leaders invited by President Putin to participate in the Victory celebrations shows how relations between the two countries are moving forward all the time. “Russia is implementing strategic industrial projects in Egypt while Egypt is one of the world’s largest importers of wheat from Russia,” Abdelatty said in a TV interview with Russia Today.
“What is good about Russia is that it doesn’t interfere in other people’s affairs and plays a positive role in supporting Palestinian rights.”
Just as the High Dam reflected the strategic partnership between Egypt and Russia during the 1960s, the construction of the Dabaa nuclear power plant now serves as a symbol of a new kind of strategic partnership, continued Abdelatty.
He pointed to how intertwined relations between the two countries have become. Egypt is dependent on Russia for wheat and tourism, a vital source of foreign currency. While Egypt is a market with 120 million consumers for Russian companies, Russia is also a big market for Egyptian companies, especially agricultural producers.
Professor of International Relations Shehata Gharib attributes the promotion of relations between Egypt and Russia to a strategic level to the fact that Egypt refused to join the West in imposing sanctions on Moscow because of the war in Ukraine.
“Egypt’s foreign policy under President Al-Sisi is pragmatic and flexible. It recognised that sanctions on Russia would be counterproductive and even damaging.” Gharib added that Egypt also recognised the benefit of cooperation with Russia on strategic sectors of the economy, such as military production, energy, and tourism, and in the field of diplomacy and culture.
In an official statement last week, the Russian Embassy in Cairo described President Al-Sisi as a “longstanding and dear friend of Russia”. It added that Al-Sisi’s participation in Victory Day celebrations on 9 May, and his high-level talks on 10 May, provided renewed momentum to the Egyptian-Russian partnership which is rooted in deep mutual respect between the two countries’ peoples and the close relationship between their leaders.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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