MOSCOW, May 9 (MENA) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to increase the number of Russian tourists visiting Egypt, while promoting new Egyptian tourist attractions in Russia.

The two leaders also underlined the importance of enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, food security, mining, agriculture, and industry, as well as continuing coordination between the two countries in international forums, including in the BRICS.

The remarks were made in a meeting held between Sisi and Putin on the sidelines of the Victory Day parade in Moscow, said Presidential Spokesman Mohamed El-Shennawy.

The spokesman added that the two presidents held an expanded session of talks, where the Russian leader expressed appreciation of Sisi's participation in the Victory Day parade this year, which reflects the strong and historical relations between the two countries and their peoples.

On his part, President Sisi greeted the Russian president and people on the Victory Day anniversary, lauding the strategic relations with Russia that are based on the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement signed in 2018.

President Sisi also extolled the significant momentum in Egyptian-Russian ties in various areas, citing a project to build an industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) and a project to construct the Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant west of Alexandria.

The pair expressed hope for the success of the 15th session of the Russian-Egyptian intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, and technical cooperation to be held in Moscow on May 12-14, which will address ways of fostering cooperation in all fields of common concern.

The spokesman noted that the talks tackled the developments on regional and international issues of common concern, as the two presidents underscored the significance of regaining stability in the Middle East, especially in the Gaza Strip, while intensifying the efforts to avert regional escalation.

In this regard, President Sisi reviewed the efforts made by Egypt to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, as well as allowing the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave to end the humanitarian crisis.

The Egyptian president called for finding a final solution to the Palestinian issue, through establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, as being the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region.

For his part, the Russian president expressed great appreciation of Egypt's role in the region, affirming Russia's full support for Cairo's endeavors to restore calm and bring about regional stability, as well as its backing of the Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction.

The talks also touched on the situation in Syria, Libya, and Sudan, in addition to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, where President Sisi reiterated Egypt's stance on arriving at diplomatic solutions to international crises in a way that preserves regional and international peace and security. (MENA)

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