CAIRO: Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s minister of foreign affairs, visited Moscow intending to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Abdelatty’s visit included discussions with senior Russian officials to advance bilateral cooperation and exchange views on various issues of common interest.

On the first day of his visit, Abdelatty visited the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow and met staff from the diplomatic mission and various technical offices.

He also met with several representatives of the Egyptian community in the Russian Federation during his visit to Moscow.

Tamim Khallaf, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Abdelatty emphasized the state’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of Egyptians abroad during his meeting with representatives of the Egyptian community in Russia.

He reviewed Egypt’s foreign policy perspective on regional challenges and crises, highlighting the ministry’s focus on supporting the national economy, attracting investments, and increasing development projects. 

The minister also listened to the community representatives’ views and suggestions, noting their important role in strengthening the strong ties between the two countries.

Abdelatty highlighted the importance of providing the highest level of care in delivering all services to visitors at the mission, whether Egyptian citizens or foreigners, in the most efficient and timely manner.

He met Anton Alikhanov, Russian minister of industry and trade. During the meeting they discussed the latest developments related to joint development projects.

Abdelatty emphasized the importance of strengthening investment and trade relations between the two countries in various fields and working to facilitate the increase of Egyptian exports to Russia. 

DUBAI: Iran could hold direct talks with the United States if Washington demonstrates “in practice” that it is not hostile to the Islamic Republic, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday.
Pezeshkian was responding to a question at a news conference in Tehran on whether Tehran would be open to direct talks with the US to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.
Former US president Donald Trump reneged on that deal in 2018, arguing it was too generous to Tehran, and restored harsh US sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to gradually violate the agreement’s nuclear limits.
“We are not hostile toward the US, they should end their hostility toward us by showing their goodwill in practice,” said Pezeshkian, adding: “We are brothers with the Americans as well.”
After taking office in January 2021, US President Joe Biden tried to negotiate a revival of the nuclear pact under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program in return for relief from US, European Union and UN sanctions.
However, Tehran refused to directly negotiate with Washington and worked mainly through European or Arab intermediaries.
He also said Tehran has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen’s Houthis, a day after the Iran-backed group said a missile it fired at Israel was a hypersonic one.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would inflict a “heavy price” on the Houthis who control northern Yemen, after they reached central Israel with a missile on Sunday for the first time.
“It takes a person a week to travel to Yemen (from Iran), how could this missile have gotten there? We don’t have such missiles to provide to Yemen,” Pezeshkian said.
However, last year Iran presented what it described as Tehran’s first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, with state media publishing pictures of the missile named “Fattah” at a ceremony.