Lavrov in Egypt seeking cooperation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in the Egyptian capital early on Thursday joining Moscow's Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu on a mission designed to discuss prospected mutual cooperation between the two nations. A spokesman of the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement Lavrov was expected to hold talks with Interim President Adly Mansour and his Egyptian counterpart, Nabil Fahmy, to tackle bilateral ties and regional issues. Lavrov, along with Shoigu, is also scheduled to hold talks with the Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. These planned discussions were expected to address a host of economic, security and military issues of joint interest, in addition to regional files. There have been diverse signs from Egypt and Russia, reflecting mutual desire to open a new chapter in bilateral ties. The Egyptian-Russian ties peaked during era of the late president, Gamal Abdel-Nasser, before turning sour in later times.