Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Cairo Monday to discuss the growing bilateral trade relations and the peace process in the Middle East, DPA reported.
After the meeting, Lavrov told reporters that Egypt was one of few countries to have seen trade with Russia grow during the global financial crisis. He added that relevant ministries in each capital would work to expand the exchanges.
On the political end, Mubarak and Lavrov talked about advancing the stalled peace process for the Middle East and finding a resolution to the internal Palestinian divide between the main Fatah and Hamas factions.
Egypt has been attempting to bridge the gap between the warring parties, who each control sections of the Palestinian territories.
They also discussed issues of the wider region, Lavrov said, including concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, and the volatile situations in Iraq, Sudan and Afghanistan.