Egypt, Russia FMs discuss bilateral ties, regional updates
The call addressed ways to enhance Egyptian-Russian relations across various sectors, with both ministers expressing appreciation for the current level of bilateral cooperation and affirming their shared commitment to further strengthening ties.
They also emphasized the importance of continuing reciprocal visits to promote joint cooperation, particularly in economic, trade, and investment fields, to achieve mutual benefits.
The conversation touched on the latest regional developments amid the current military escalation and its grave consequences for the security and stability of the region.
Both top diplomats underlined the urgent need to de-escalate tensions and pursue political and diplomatic solutions, reaffirming that there is no military solution to the current crisis.
Minister Lavrov praised the joint statement issued yesterday by 23 Arab and Islamic countries at Egypt's initiative, which stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire and a return to negotiations as the only way to reach a sustainable agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
The two ministers also exchanged updates on their recent communications with various regional and US officials aimed at curbing the escalation.
The call reflected a strong alignment between Egypt and Russia on the necessity of de-escalation, containment of the deteriorating situation and the imperative need to prevent the region from sliding into widespread chaos; with both sides reaffirming that resuming negotiations remains the only viable path forward.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CairoScene
an hour ago
- CairoScene
AD: Tracking the Growth of Egypt's New Capital
AD: Tracking the Growth of Egypt's New Capital With ministries, universities, cultural landmarks, and growing residential communities in place, the New Capital is preparing for Phase 2. Fifty kilometres east of Cairo, Egypt's New Capital is shifting from an ambitious blueprint to a functioning urban centre. Conceived as part of a broader national plan to expand and modernise the country's urban footprint, the city now houses ministries, universities, cultural landmarks, and a growing residential population—while laying the groundwork for its next phase. The master developer is the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), a joint stock company operating under the Egyptian Tax Authority. ACUD is self-financed, carries no debt, and is responsible for overseeing the capital's phased development, infrastructure, and urban planning. Phase 1, which covers the government district, major residential zones, and core infrastructure, is 70% complete and operational. Around 25,000 families live in the city, alongside 50,000 government employees, 12,000 university students, and 20,000 school pupils. The Egyptian Cabinet has operated from here for two years, with all ministries now based in purpose-built offices. Education has emerged as a cornerstone of the New Capital's development. Six universities are already in operation—including the University of Hertfordshire, Egypt University of Informatics, the European Universities in Egypt, the Universities of Canada in Egypt, the German International University, and The Knowledge Hub. School options range from the Nile Egyptian International Schools to the Royal Canadian School-Cairo, New Capital English Schools, Cadmus International Schools, Citadel International School, and NIS by Dr. Nermien Ismail. Civic and cultural landmarks have also taken shape. The City of Arts and Culture has hosted concerts from Egyptian soprano Amira Selim and international artists such as Michael Bublè. Egypt's Islamic Cultural Center and the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ stand as architectural and symbolic anchors for the city. Connectivity, often a critical measure of a new city's viability, has been prioritised. The New Capital links to Cairo and New Cairo through an expanded road network, with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) already operational and the Monorail set to follow. Inside the city, an internal bus network connects to LRT and Monorail stops, supplemented by New Capital Cab and ride-hailing services like Uber, Careem, Indrive, and Didi. From the city centre, New Cairo is a 30-minute drive; central Cairo takes around 90 minutes. The city's lifestyle offering continues to expand, from hospitality like St. Regis Almasa New Capital to wellness, leisure, and retail spaces. Public services, including hospitals and municipal facilities, are being integrated alongside residential and commercial developments. With Phase 2 now in the master planning stage, the New Capital is positioned to scale further—adding new districts, facilities, and transport links. For Egypt, it is both a statement of intent and a long-term investment in reshaping how its cities grow. For those already living, working, and studying here, it is a place not in theory, but in practice.
Egypt Independent
2 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Here's what Putin really wants from Trump – and it's not peace in Ukraine
Anchorage, Alaska — Alaska is unlikely to have been on many peoples' bingo cards as the venue for a key summit between the leaders of the United States and Russia. Yet America's biggest, remotest state is where Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are now set to meet for one of the most potentially consequential encounters of their presidencies. That's certainly the view from Moscow, where pro-Kremlin propagandists are already flushed with anticipation at the benefits this much-anticipated face-to-face meeting will deliver. Or, more specifically, will deliver for Putin. Firstly, the fact a summit with the US president is being held at all is a massive win for the Kremlin. 'No one is talking about Russia's international isolation anymore, or about our strategic defeat,' wrote Alexander Kots, a prominent pro-Kremlin military blogger on his popular social media channel. He added that the Alaska meeting had 'every chance to become historic.' He may be right. A presidential summit allows Putin to be seen back at the top table of international diplomacy, while thumbing his nose at critics and nations who want him shunned if not arrested on charges of war crimes in Ukraine. And a summit in the US state of Alaska, of all places, is red meat to resurgent Russian nationalists who still bluster about the territory being rightfully theirs. Just across the Bering Strait from the Chukotka region in the Russian Far East, Alaska was once a remote possession of the Russian Empire before being sold to the United States in 1867 for what was, even then, a paltry sum of $7.2 million, about 2 cents an acre. The idea that Moscow got a raw deal still lingers and a visit to 'our Alaska,' as one prominent Russian state TV host dubbed it, bolsters Putin's nationalist credentials. Video clips of Trump misspeaking at a White House news conference ahead of the summit, saying he was going to 'Russia' to meet Putin, have also been trending on Russian social media with captions saying the US president had finally 'admitted it is ours.' For the rest of the world, though, the sole focus of this presidential summit is the war in Ukraine and whether Russia is prepared to make any concessions to end it. The White House has said Trump expects to focus squarely on ending the war in Ukraine, leaving other issues Moscow has said could be up for discussion for another time. A US Air Force plane takes off on July 22 from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the venue for a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday. Airman 1st Class Eli A. Rose/Alamy On Wednesday, Trump promised 'very severe consequences' if Putin doesn't agree to end his war, following a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders. But so far there's been little sign of real compromise from the Kremlin, which regards itself as having the upper hand on the grinding Ukrainian battlefield. As recently as last month, on a phone call with Trump, Putin reportedly reiterated that Russia would 'continue to pursue its goals to address the root causes' of the conflict in Ukraine – these 'root causes' having previously included long-held Russian grievances that include Ukraine's existence as a sovereign state, and NATO's eastward expansion since the end of the Cold War. On Wednesday, a Russian foreign ministry spokesman said the country's position on Ukraine was 'unchanged,' state media reported. More likely, Putin is up to something else. Details have emerged of a Russian peace offer reportedly made to US presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, before the Alaska summit was hastily arranged. In essence, the proposals involve Kyiv surrendering territory in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, in exchange for a ceasefire, an idea the Ukrainian leadership has firmly ruled out. 'I am not going to surrender my country because I have no right to do so,' said Zelensky ahead of the summit, which he was not invited to. 'If we leave Donbas today, our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control, we will clearly open a bridgehead for the preparation of a Russian offensive.' But Trump, who is expected to discuss the idea with Putin in Alaska, appears to like the sound of a land-for-peace deal, even one so unpalatable to Ukraine and its European partners. That clear difference of opinion represents an opportunity for Putin to portray the Ukrainians and the Europeans – not Russia – as the real obstacle to peace, potentially undermining Trump's already shaky support for the Ukrainian war effort. Trump has lost patience with Zelensky before, the Kremlin will have noted, and may do so again. If he were to cut off the remaining US military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, Ukraine would struggle to continue its fight even with bolstered European support. Ahead of the summit, the White House appeared to downplay expectations of a peace deal, characterizing the high-stakes meeting as a 'listening exercise.' That may suit Putin just fine. Top Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, pictured ahead of a meeting with a US delegation in Saudi Arabia in February, is one of those traveling to Alaska for the summit. Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters It was, after all, the Kremlin who solicited the summit, according to the White House – possibly as a way of heading off a threat of US tariffs and secondary sanctions that Trump said would kick in last week. Keeping Trump talking may be an effective way of pushing back that deadline indefinitely. More broadly, Putin sees a unique opportunity with Trump to fundamentally reset relations with Washington, and separate Russian ties with the US from the fate of Ukraine, a scenario that would also divide the Western allies. For months, Kremlin officials have been talking up possibilities for economic, technological and space cooperation with the US, as well as lucrative deals on infrastructure and energy in the Arctic and elsewhere. The fact the Kremlin's top economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev – a key interlocutor with the Trump administration – is part of the Russian delegation to Alaska suggests that more talk of US-Russian deal-making will be on the agenda. And, if Putin gets his way in this summit, the 'Ukraine question' may find itself relegated to just one of many talking points between the powerful leaders of two great powers – and not even the most pressing one.
Egypt Independent
4 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Egypt, European Bank to launch €10 Million projects account
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has issued a new presidential decree, #146 of 2025, approving a cooperation agreement to establish a Projects Account in Egypt between the Egyptian government and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with a capital of 10 million Euros. The House of Representatives, headed by Counselor Hanafi al-Gebali, had approved the presidential decree during its general session on May 11. The agreement aims to create the 'Projects Account in Egypt' with the goal of accelerating the launch of investment projects by financing feasibility studies and technical consultations. It also seeks to reduce the time it takes to begin implementing public-private partnership (PPP) projects from one year to two months. The project is expected to attract both local and foreign investment through simplified procedures and technical support.
