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President Vladimir Putin: Dear Mr President,

Dear friends,

Allow me once again to wish you a warm welcome to Moscow. The Declaration on the Foundations for Friendly Relations and Cooperation between Russia and Egypt, signed in 2001, provides a good foundation for developing our relations. But more than being about any declarations, treaties or agreements, of which we have sufficient and which form the legal basis for our relations, our friendship grows from the historical roots of our relations, which form the real foundation for the cooperation we have had now for many decades. We remember the 1950s and 1960s, when cooperation between the Soviet Union and Egypt was at a very high level. I think that there is nothing to stop us today from not only raising our cooperation to its former level but also developing it further. Of course, we very much hope that our cooperation will be effective and will be of help in regulating conflicts, above all the situation in the Middle East. We are very happy to see you. Once again, welcome.

Hosni Mubarak: Thank you, Mr President. Thank you for your warm welcome. Indeed, our relations do go back a long way. As you noted, our two countries had a high level of cooperation in the 1950s and 1960s. Today we strive to develop our cooperation and reach an even higher level. We hope that we will achieve this level in various areas.

I was very happy with our meeting, Mr President. It was a very good opportunity to exchange views on various issues that are of key importance for the Middle East, above all the Arab-Israeli conflict and the situation in Iraq.

During our meeting I saw that you are informed about all the details regarding the situation in Iraq and that you have your own assessment of what is happening there. You are also well informed about the Arab-Israeli conflict.

I want to emphasise once more that we see cooperation with Russia in all areas as very important. As I proposed, our ministers should meet more often in order to activate our cooperation. I know that on both sides, businesspeople have set up two organisations in this area. I think this is a very good step because the private sector should also be involved in developing our trade and economic relations. I thank you, Mr President, and I wish your friendly people much success and prosperity.