El Sisi holds talks with Putin in St. Petersburg: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi landed in St. Petersburg yesterday, where he met with President Vladimir Putin to discuss ongoing projects and the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine on African countries. Coming on the eve of the Russia-Africa Summit, the meeting saw the two leaders speak in glowing terms about bilateral ties, with both praising their countries’ “special” relationship, according to a Kremlin readout of the conversation.

Following up on Russian investments in Egypt: The two leaders discussed the latest developments regarding Russian projects in Egypt including the Dabaa nuclear power plant and the Russian Industrial Zone, Ittihadiya said following the meeting . The two also exchanged views on a number of issues, including the ongoing situations in Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, Libya, and Palestine.

El Sisi on Russia-Africa cooperation: “We are always positive on all initiatives, including from your side, that concern bilateral cooperation and interaction on the African continent. We are obviously interested in strengthening bilateral cooperation with Russia in various areas,” El Sisi told the Russian president. El Sisi is in Russia to take part in the two-day Russia-Africa Summit, which starts today.

The summit comes amid heightened fears over the continent’s food security following Russia’s suspension of the grain export pact with Ukraine earlier this month. Moscow’s decision to reimpose its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports is preventing the country from shipping grains to food insecure countries in Africa such as Egypt, which is the world’s largest importer of wheat.

RUSSIA TO WEIGH IN ON GERD-

Is Russia angling to mediate a settlement on GERD? Russia has addressed its Ethiopian partners “asking them to take into consideration the concerns of Egypt,” Russia’s ambassador to Egypt Georgy Borisenko told Sabahak Masry on Tuesday ( watch, runtime: 3:06). “Our Ethiopian partners should remember the legal concerns of our Egyptian friends,” he said, pointing to the necessity of the two sides reaching an agreement on the filing and operations of the dam. Ahmed last week agreed with El Sisi to accelerate efforts to find a solution to the long-running Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute.

Putin meets Ethiopian PM:Putin held talks with Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed ahead of his meeting with El Sisi, during which he announced that a number of agreements covering energy and tech will soon be signed by the two countries.

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