Without us? Not this time.
Оn June 5, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will start in Russia. It is announced that 128 countries and territories will participate, including Venezuela, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Oman, Bahrain and Sudan. Egypt is absent from this list, which looks strange. If not to say – incomprehensible.
Interstate relations between Egypt and Russia have a long history. With the participation of Soviet specialists, the Aswan Dam, Helwan Iron and Steel Works, aluminum plant in Nag Hammadi, in total more than a hundred industrial facilities were built.
The USSR’s contribution to strengthening Egypt’s defense capability was great. Russian military men took a direct part in repulsion of Israeli air aggression in 1970. Some of them lost their lives.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Egypt in August 2005, becoming the first Russian and Soviet leader to fly to the country on an official visit. It was Putin’s first trip to a country in the Arab world. Then he visited the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, something none of his predecessors had ever done.
In February 2015, President Putin visited Egypt for a second time. The negotiations resulted in an agreement on the participation of Russian Rosatom in the construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant and the establishment of a free trade zone between Egypt and the Eurasian Economic Union.
On December 11, 2017, Vladimir Putin visited Egypt for the third time, at which time contracts were signed for the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt and the supply of nuclear fuel for the plant.
Construction of the El Dabaa NPP began in July 2022. It will be the first Egyptian nuclear power plant. The NPP will be equipped with four power units with Russian VVER-1200 reactors that meet the highest international safety requirements. Their total capacity will be almost 4.8 GW.
Since January 2024, Egypt has joined BRICS, an interstate association of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, UAE, Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia. Many Russians have visited us at least once on vacation, some come every year. Egypt received 1.2 million Russian tourists in 2023.
Trade turnover between Egypt and Russia, according to Russian data, amounted to about $7 billion in 2023. This is a full billion more than a year earlier. Russia supplies us not only withgrain and other food. It offers high-technology services and goods, including advanced military equipment.
Two years ago, in June 2002, just a few months after the Russian attack on Ukraine began, the Arab Republic of Egypt was a guest at the St. Petersburg forum. This honorary title is awarded to only one participating country each year. In 2024 it will be the Sultanate of Oman.
Against this background, the lack of information about the participation of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2024 looks strange. Russia is too valuable a partner to anger it by refusing to attend such an important event for Vladimir Putin. Distancing looks like a concession to American pressure, diminishes Egypt’s status as a regional power and indicates our unwillingness to use the forum as a window of opportunity for building mutually beneficial relations not only with mighty Russia, but also with other countries.
Our southern neighbor understood the priorities better than we do: Sudan’s delegation to SPIEF will be headed by Deputy Head of the Transitional Council Malik Agar. He will be accompanied by the heads of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Natural Resources. Sudanese Ambassador to Russia Mohammed Sirraj expects the Sudanese delegation to actively participate in the forum and sign a number of agreements.
