CAIRO, December 20. /TASS/. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov joint projects in various economic areas, as well as the situation in the Gaza Strip, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The diplomats met on the sidelines of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum in Marrakesh, Morocco.

"Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, during talks with his Russian counterpart, touched upon various aspects of cooperation between the two countries, as well as their joint projects, especially the El Dabaa NPP construction project and the Russian industrial area in the Suez Canal economic zone. The Egyptian Foreign Minister also expressed deep interest in maintaining the volume of tourist flow from Russia, as Egypt is one of the priority destinations for Russian tourists," reads the statement published on the Arab Republic's Foreign Ministry's official Facebook page (banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia).

"The Egyptian Foreign Minister also touched upon the Palestinian issue <...> and emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire and allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. He also stressed the need to achieve a final solution to the issue through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital. <...> The Egyptian Foreign Minister also praised Russia's firm position on the Palestinian issue, as well as the viewpoint that Moscow has been adhering to recently regarding the crisis in Gaza," the Foreign Ministry added.

The parties also discussed the situation in a number of other Middle Eastern countries, such as Yemen, Libya, Syria and Sudan.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and Shoukry had exchanged views on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and called for an early ceasefire in the conflict zone. Lavrov also expressed gratitude to his Egyptian counterpart for his assistance in ensuring the safe departure of Russian citizens from the enclave. The sides also touched upon a range of issues related to the further strengthening of multifaceted Russian-Egyptian cooperation, including maintaining an active political dialogue and interaction within BRICS, the UN and other international platforms.