Russian Foreign Intelligence Service head, Egyptian president discuss Mideast situation

MOSCOW/DUBAI. April 16 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergei Naryshkin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have discussed the situation in the Middle East.

The service's press bureau said in a statement on Tuesday that the meeting took place in Egypt on April 16, upon Naryshkin's arrival on a working visit.

"The sides exchanged opinions on stabilization in the Middle East in the context of the crisis in the Gaza Strip, countering international terrorism, the situation in Ukraine and on the African continent, and Afghan affairs," the press bureau said.

"The visit demonstrated common approaches to the issues addressed," it said. "They emphasized the readiness to further deepen cooperation on ensuring the national security of Russia and Egypt," it said.

For its part, the Egyptian presidential office said that el-Sisi and Naryshkin discussed ways to settle the situation in the Middle East.

"Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, Sergei Naryshkin, and his accompanying delegation. [...] the meeting focused on the regional situation, primarily ways to achieve stability in the Middle East amid the crisis in the Gaza Strip and the escalating tension in the region," presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said.

The sides expressed the aspiration for further coordination on a number of issues for the benefit of common interests, the statement said.