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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo for talks on Sunday with Egyptian officials as his country tries to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions imposed by the West over the attack on Ukraine.
Mr. Lavrov arrived in Cairo late Saturday, which will be the first stop of his trip to Africa, where he will also visit Ethiopia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report by Russian state broadcaster RT.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry was holding talks with Mr Lavrov on Sunday morning.
The Russian top diplomat was scheduled to meet next with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Abdoul Gheit. He is also expected to give a speech before the representatives of this organization of Arab countries.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is having serious consequences for the world economy, raising oil and gas prices to unprecedented levels.
Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s attack and naval blockade of Ukrainian ports has halted shipments.
The war has also disrupted the delivery of Russian products as shipping and insurance companies do not want to face Western sanctions against Russia.
African countries are ranked among the countries most affected by the consequences of war. The prices of vital products have skyrocketed and billions of dollars in aid have already been directed towards people fleeing the war in Europe. This has left millions of people in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East also suffering the consequences of growing shortages of food and other aid.
Mr Lavrov’s meeting with Egyptian officials and Arab envoys in Cairo comes just two weeks after US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East. The US president met with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, before attending a meeting in Saudi Arabia with the countries of the Persian Gulf, as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
Egypt, the world’s most populous Arab country, has refused to take sides since war broke out in Ukraine in February, and maintains close relations with both Moscow and the West.
Egypt is among the largest importers of wheat, most of which it receives from Russia and Ukraine.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi has cultivated a close personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both leaders have significantly strengthened bilateral relations in recent years.
Mr Lavrov’s visit to Cairo comes as Russia’s state-owned atomic energy corporation Rosatom last week began construction in Egypt of a four-reactor nuclear power plant.
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