p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 17.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px 'Times New Roman'; color: #101010; -webkit-text-stroke: #101010} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font: 14.0px Calibri; font-kerning: none} span.s3 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #042eee; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #042eee} span.s4 {font-kerning: none; color: #347ab7; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #347ab7} span.s5 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #347ab7; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #347ab7} Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is leading a military delegation to Egypt today for the sixth session of the two countries' joint commission on defense cooperation. He's also scheduled to meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, the minister of defense and military production.

“The talks will focus on issues of international and regional security, the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as issues of Russian-Egyptian military and defense cooperation,” Russian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Rossiyana Markovskaya told reporters.

Why it matters: The visit comes amid intensifying relations between Moscow and Cairo. Last month, Sisi, the sitting chairman of the African Union, co-hosted the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was the third meeting between the two presidents this year. Days later, the Egyptian air force's tactical training center near Cairo hosted joint Russian-Egyptian military drills dubbed Arrow of Friendship-1. Russia and Egypt have held several joint naval and airborne counterterrorism exercises since 2015, but the fall exercises in Egypt were the first drills involving air defense forces from the two countries. “When we are in Egypt we always feel like at home,” Shoigu said while addressing the bilateral commission on defense cooperation.

New wine into old bottles: The Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Shoigu stressed, “confirmed that Egypt occupies a leading position on the African continent and remains one of Russia’s strategic allies in this region.” The Russian military, he added, “is ready to assist in strengthening Egyptian military forces and defense capabilities.”