A “grain and energy hub” could be established in Egypt as part of a joint initiative with Russia, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
He made the proposal during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at the Kremlin. Mr Abdelatty said Cairo would welcome the idea.
Mr Putin separately spoke to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the Middle East conflict, the Kremlin said.
It said they "emphasised the need for a rapid cessation of hostilities and the intensification of political and diplomatic efforts to achieve a long-term settlement of the conflict".
Russia has been seeking alternative routes for its energy and commodities exports in response to western sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Egypt plays an increasingly important role in handling Russian commodities and could serve as a logistics and storage centre for supplies bound for Africa and the Middle East. Neither Mr Putin nor Mr Abdelatty gave further details about what the plan would involve.
The countries are already working on joint initiatives, the Tass news agency quoted Mr Putin as saying. “We could discuss creating a grain and energy hub in Egypt,” he added.
Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer and the biggest buyer of Russian wheat. Rail carrier Rusagrotrans estimates that Egypt has purchased about 7.6 million tonnes of Russian grain so far this season – having bought about the same amount last year.
Mr Putin said he instructed his government to work with Egypt on food supplies, primarily grain. Owing to a strong harvest last year, Russia would have no difficulty in meeting delivery commitments, he added.
Egypt is also a major importer of Russian petrol and could be affected by Moscow’s decision on Thursday to ban exports until the end of July, a measure aimed at securing domestic supplies.
Mr Putin also invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to visit Russia and expressed hope he would attend the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow in October, Tass reported.
“We hope that Egypt will be represented by a good, high-level delegation," he said. "If the Egyptian President finds time, of course, we will be glad to welcome him to Moscow."
