CAIRO – Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgiy Borisenko extended thanks to Egypt over its relentless efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, which was announced last Wednesday.
Moscow strongly supports this agreement, affirmed the ambassador, voicing hope that the Israelis would stop striking Gaza and fulfill the rest of their obligations.
In an exclusive interview with MENA on Sunday, the ambassador affirmed close coordination between Egypt and Russia regarding Mideast issues, especially the situation in Gaza.
Moscow was at the forefront of countries, which called on the UNSC in October 2023 to put an end to the Israeli war in the enclave, he further said.
Regarding the situation in Syria, the ambassador said that Egypt and Russia share identical viewpoints regarding the latest developments in Syria.
The two countries agreed on the importance of adopting a comprehensive political process in Syria without any foreign interference, he went on to say.
As for the BRICS, the ambassador stressed that the Russian presidency of BRICS in 2024 achieved its aspired goals and was successful in helping the new countries engage in all activities, including political, economic, transportation, cultural, emergency cooperation, and others.
He pointed out that as many as 12 Egyptian ministers participated in the BRICS meetings held in Russia, while some other activities were held via video conference.
Talking about economic cooperation with Egypt, the ambassador said that bilateral trade amounted to about dlrs 7.150 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach 8 billion dollars by the end of 2024.
Russia is the main supplier of wheat to Egypt, which purchased about 9 million tons last year, he noted.
Asked about the Russian industrial zone, the ambassador said that the Russian side is waiting for the endorsement of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on the agreement protocol after the Egyptian parliament recently ratified it.
Moscow stands fully ready to implement this project according to the pre-agreed conditions, he added.
Regarding the establishment of logistics centres, he explained that Egypt has a strategic location in the world due to the Suez Canal, which plays an important role in international trade.
Russian ships continued to cross the canal throughout 2024 despite the war in Gaza because it is the cheapest and most convenient way to transport Russian goods, he said.
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