DHAKA: Egypt’s foreign minister sought to downplay speculation of a major shift in his country’s foreign policy, saying during a top-level Russian visit on Thursday that Moscow was too important to be a substitute for the United States as Cairo’s key ally and backer.

The remarks by Nabil Fahmy came after talks with his visiting counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who is leading the Russian delegation to Cairo.

‘We look forward to cooperation with Russia in multiple fields and that is because of Russia’s significance in the international arena,’ Fahmy said at a news conference.

‘We look forward to strong, continuous and stable relations with Russia. We seek to energize a relation that is already in existence.’

When asked whether Russia would replace the US as his country’s chief ally, Fahmy said Egypt was not looking for a ‘substitute for anyone’, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1642 HRS, NOV 14, 2013
RoR/BSK