Russia is also carrying out several economic projects in Egypt, including the building of an industrial zone in East Port Said with investments worth $7 billion. The two nations agreed to a nuclear program to benefit both nations and organized diplomatic visits between them. The sustainability of the Russia-Egypt strategic partnership has also been enhanced by cultural and ideational bonds. Late last month, Russia said it approved a draft agreement with Egypt to allow its warplanes to use Egyptian bases. © 2020 Al-Monitor, LLC. From Oct. 27 to Nov. 7, the Egyptian air force's tactical training center near Cairo hosted joint military drills, dubbed Arrow of Friendship-1. Sign up to receive the latest publications, event invitations, and our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox. Egyptian and Russian delegations in Sochi summit, Russia. He also says relations between Egypt and the U.S. will not be seriously affected by the developing relations with Russia. Ahmed el-Shami, an economist and a professor of feasibility studies at Ain Shams University, said that Russia mainly signs such partnership agreements with Asian countries and not with Arab states, adding that inking such a deal with Egypt signals that Russia is willing to upgrade bilateral ties to a whole new level. President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi summit, Russia. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Putin also offered the Egyptians Russian assistance in building the country’s first nuclear power plant. Press Photo, Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation Agreement. An agreement to have a Russian company build a nuclear reactor was signed in Cairo on Monday. "This month's signing of the partnership agreement marks a turnaround in relations that has never been seen since the reign of late president Gamal Abdel Nasser,” said political analyst Ammar Ali Hassan. Military cooperation, which began in 1955 when Egypt became the first Arab nation to buy Soviet weapons, is increasing between the two states. Russian pilots even flew reconnaissance flights for the Egyptians over Israeli installations. “The deal will also help in the establishment of high-level economic and investment entities in the coming period that serve the economies of both countries,” he told Al-Monitor. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. These drills built on the historic June 2015 Russia-Egypt naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea, and gave Moscow an opportunity to advertise its aircraft and anti-air systems to observer countries, like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Serbia, and Greece. Russia and Egypt are deepening and expanding military and technical cooperation. Now they want to take this cooperation even further,” economist Abdel Fattah said. El-Sissi has also cultivated close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, however, and relations with Moscow have not been problem-free. This conciliatory rhetoric from Putin and Sisi reflects the Russian-Egyptian partnership’s growing strength over the past year, even as Sisi’s cordial relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump has received widespread attention. A 1955 deal to buy Soviet weapons through Czechoslovakia brought Egypt into the Soviet camp despite Cairo's efforts to remain non-aligned. Russian officials discussed Gulf security with their Egyptian counterparts at the two-plus-two dialogue in June, and Moscow hopes that Cairo’s concerns about maritime security, due its Red Sea trading interests, will eventually prompt it to pursue a course of de-escalation with Iran. Russia also views Egypt’s decision to opt out of U.S. President Trump’s Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA) proposal as a positive step, as it coincides with Moscow’s efforts to sell its vision for collective security in the Persian Gulf to Arab countries. Egypt has spent millions of dollars to upgrade security at its airports, but the Russians remain reluctant to resume flights. Russian policymakers hope that exchanges of this kind will establish communal ties between Russia and Egypt’s Muslim communities, which will contribute positively to the bilateral relationship. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Amazing Facts about the Swahili and Waswahili People. This newfound closeness between the countries led many Egyptians to study at Russian universities. The Sisi administration has subsequently been seeking political allies and has found one in Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is reviving one of the older 20th-century traditional Middle Eastern political relationships. All rights reserved. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Samuel Ramani is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations. During the 1950s, relations between the two nations deepened and the president of Egypt was granted the highest Soviet decoration, the Order of Lenin. Egyptian-Russian relations date to the 16th century, when Russia began supporting Orthodox Chris­tian interests in Egypt, while for much of the Cold War Egypt was a major Soviet ally. Rapprochement between Egypt and Russia has also included significant movements towards greater economic cooperation. There are reports which date back as far as 1556 of requests sent to the Russian Tsar requesting assistance following damage to the church at the hands of the Turkish empire. On August 23. , 1943, Egypt and Russia began to negotiate, with Egypt already establishing an embassy in Moscow and Russia an embassy of its own in Cairo. “This agreement is a new stage in developing relations and it comes to benefit [Egypt's] peaceful nuclear program, represented in al-Dabaa project, as well as the coming arms deals,” Shami told Al-Monitor. During the 1950s, relations between the two nations deepened and the president of Egypt was granted the highest Soviet decoration, the Order of Lenin. In June, a Russian-Egyptian two-plus-two summit was held between the foreign and defense ministries of both countries, which included discussions on Syria and Libya. The expansion of Russia-Egypt trade links prompted Putin to announce on Oct. 13 that Russia was trying to create a free trade area including Israel and Egypt that would resemble its trading arrangement with Iran. But vociferous, anti-Israel rhetoric from Egypt's Arab nationalist leader Gamal Abdel-Nasser, coupled with Cold War realities, doomed any hope that Washington could become Cairo's superpower patron. Egypt enjoys year-round good weather allowing multiple harvests, particularly fruit and vegetables, which can meet the seasonal needs of the Russian market. In 2014 bilateral Russian-Egyp­tian trade surpassed $4.5 billion, an 80% increase compared to 2013. At the conclusion of the summit, which brought 43 African heads of state to the Black Sea resort town, Sisi emphasized the importance of strengthening Egypt’s partnership with Russia, and Putin described Egypt as a “pillar for security and stability in the Middle East and Africa.”. In February, Sisi ratified an Egypt-Russia economic agreement enabling a Russian Industrial Zone to operate in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. The U.S.-brokered Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel cemented the new American-Egyptian alliance, transforming Egypt into a key U.S. ally and the recipient of $1.3 billion in annual foreign aid, which continues to this day. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Al-Monitor - Intelligence on the trends shaping the Middle East. “Relations between Egypt and Russia are historical and deeply rooted and the leaders of both countries have been keen to boost them. While the crystallization of Russia’s economic and security links with Egypt is a compelling sign of a stronger bilateral partnership, the expansion of Moscow’s coordination with Cairo in the diplomatic sphere is also striking. He can be followed on Twitter @samramani2. Relations between Egypt and Russia have been developing since Sisi took office in 2014. From 2017 to 2018, the value of Russian-Egyptian bilateral trade increased by 37 percent and this growth has resulted in a slew of new economic deals. On February 26th, Egyptian For­eign Minister Sameh Shoukry, lead­ing an Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) delegation, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow to discuss OIC collaboration with Russia against the Islamic State (ISIS). However, the good relationship was not to last following the death of the then-president and election of another. Egypt remains one of Russia’s largest arms importers. Hassan also said that the agreement will further Egyptian-Russian 2+2 talks, summits between the countries' ministers of defense and foreign affairs. In April, Sisi approved the construction of the Dabaa nuclear power plant, which would be developed by Russian state nuclear energy giant Rosatom. Putin last previ­ously visited Egypt a decade ago. Although U.S. policymakers routinely question the strength of Russia’s relationship with Egypt, recent events suggest that the Moscow-Cairo strategic partnership might be consolidating in numerous spheres.