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Fahmy: Egypt will 'diversify' foreign policy with closer ties to Russia

Speaking in Washington, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy cited Egypt’s deepening ties to Russia while calling for patience during Egypt’s "transformation."
Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy (L) speaks with Army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) during their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, February 13, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX18QBK

As demonstrators protested outside and the State Department condemned the latest Egyptian death sentences of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy sought on April 28 to convince an elite Washington audience that Egypt is still moving toward a participatory democracy and values its relations with the United States.

But Fahmy, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), also said that Egypt has other options, including “an emerging relationship with Russia [that] we will seek to nurture and leverage.”

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