Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr on Tuesday began a two day visit to Moscow that was originally scheduled for last week, Egyptian diplomatic sources said.
Amr will discuss the recent developments in Syria and Yemen with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavarov and other Russian officials.
They will also discuss the potential resumption of negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis and Middle East peace plans.
The sources added that Amr will bring up regional issues such as the Iranian nuclear program and the situation in the Gulf, as well as relations between Egypt and Russia and the promotion of economic ties.
Egypt views the Arab League initiative as the only solution to the crisis in Syria and rejects foreign military intervention against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Moscow also rejects foreign military action against the Syrian government, which continues to brutally suppress a popular uprising that broke out in March calling for Assad’s ouster.
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Monday emphasized the need for dialogue and reconciliation in Syria, adding that the imposition of sanctions would be counterproductive.
Ryabkov said that mediation efforts by the Arab League should not be abandoned.
The Arab League has dispatched observers to assess the situation in Syria as part of an initiative to end the crisis.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
