"We are very glad to welcome our friends in Russia and to exchange views on the development of bilateral ties as well as on regional issues today here, in Sochi," Putin said, opening the talks.
Growing trade is the result of the diversification of bilateral links, as now the two states cooperate in such areas as agriculture, manufacturing and machine building, the president said.
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The two states jointly implement large-scale projects, such as building a nuclear power plant and an industrial park in Egypt, and have productive partnership formats, Putin added, emphasizing, in particular, cooperation between the defense and foreign affairs ministries.
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