SOCHI, October 23. /TASS/. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed interest in participating in joint projects of Russia and Egypt in the production sector, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday. The Russian leader recalled that Moscow and Cairo are working on a number of projects, including establishing an industrial zone in Egypt.

"We are working very actively in these areas. We want to invest $190 mln in infrastructure development and attract up to $7 bln," Putin said. "By the way, I recently visited our common friends in the United Arab Emirates. They are very interested in this joint project of ours and will also think about how they could fit into our joint development plans in the production sector," he said.

Putin pointed out that Russian-Egyptian relations were developing very positively, and last year trade turnover grew by 14%, reaching $7.7 bln. "We have large projects underway, which we agreed on. This includes a nuclear power plant and an industrial zone in Egypt," he said. In addition, the countries have many projects in the field of infrastructure and transport, Putin said.

Speaking about foreign policy cooperation, Putin noted that the efforts of both countries’ foreign ministries and security agencies include "many important issues related to the international agenda,” along with “the fight against terrorism, and organized crime".
Putin thanked President Sisi for the support that Egypt provided in preparing the Russia-Africa summit. "This is the first time we are holding such a large-scale event, and your support was extremely important and timely," the Russian leader emphasized.

On October 23-24, the resort city of Sochi is hosting the Russia-Africa Summit, co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egypt’s head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The leaders of all 54 African countries have been invited to come, and at least 40 of them have already confirmed their participation. Eight major African integration associations and organizations are also involved in the event. On the summit’s sidelines, an economic forum is taking place, which will be attended by the continent’s heads of state, and representatives of the business community and government agencies. The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the event, and TASS is the official photo host agency of the summit and economic forum.