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Foreign, defense ministers of Russia and Egypt to meet next week

The 2+2 talks will be held in the Russian capital

CAIRO, May 12. /TASS/. Foreign and defense ministers of Russia and Egypt will meet next week in Moscow in the 2+2 format to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, regional crises and bilateral relations, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Abu Zeid, said in a statement on Saturday.

"During the upcoming consultations in the 2+2 format between the ministers of foreign affairs and defense of Egypt and Russia, due on May 14 in Moscow, the foreign ministers of the two states, Sameh Shoukry and Sergei Lavrov, are supposed to discuss possibilities of boosting bilateral relations in the political, economic and cultural spheres, as well as in tourism," the statement reads.

According to Abu Zeid, the sides will be guided by agreements, reached after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Cairo in December 2017. During the visit, Russia and Egypt signed a deal to build Egypt’s first nuclear power plant in Dabaa and agreed to resume direct air travel between capitals of the two states.

The spokesman added that during the 2+2 talks in the Russian capital, the sides will "discuss regional problems of mutual concern, crises in Syria, Libya, Yemen, as well as the situation surrounding the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and how Russia and Egypt view it."

Besides, the ministers will consider "measures to develop cooperation and coordination between the countries in the fight against terrorism."

The statement notes that Egypt is among the six countries (along with the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan), with whom Russia holds the 2+2 consultations. This format, launched in 2013, demonstrates that the two states have "special strategic relations."

The upcoming meeting will be the fourth Russian-Egyptian 2+2 talks. First such consultations were held in November 2013 in Cairo, then in February 2014 in Moscow and in May 2017 in Cairo.

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