Putin pledges to deepen ties with Egypt

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Monday on his reelection to the country's top post and expressed readiness to deepen ties with the Arab nation, the Kremlin said.

In a congratulatory message to Mubarak, Putin called the Egyptian president's re-election "good news" for Egypt, the Middle East region and the whole world, the Kremlin press service said.

Mubarak, 77, who has been in power since 1981, was reelected with a landslide victory over nine rivals in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election Friday.

The Russian president said Mubarak is respected in Russia as an acknowledged reputable leader of Egypt and the Arab world and he praised Mubarak for his contributions to the Middle East peace process.

"I confirm readiness to further deepen multifaceted relations of friendship and strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and the Arab Republic of Egypt," Putin was quoted by the Kremlin press service as saying.

Putin expressed the confidence that Russia and Egypt will strive for the further dynamic development of mutually beneficial cooperation through joint efforts.

Putin traveled to Egypt in late April for the first visit by a Russian leader.

Source: Xinhua