Egypt–Russia Relations

Egypt–Russia relations (russian: Российско-египетские отношения) are the bilateral relations between Egypt and Russia. Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Egypt were established on August 26, 1943. Egypt has an embassy in Moscow, while Russia has an embassy in Cairo and a consulate-general in Alexandria.

History

Relations between Russia and Egypt have a long history, dating back to before the 16th century. Early on, they were centered on the Russian government's and the Russian Church's support for the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria. As early as in 1556, Patriarch Joachim of Alexandria sent a letter to the Russian Tzar Ivan IV, asking the Orthodox monarch to provide some material assistance for the Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula, which had suffered from the Turks. In 1558, the Czar sent to Egypt a delegation led by archdeacon Gennady, who, however, died in Constantinople before he could reach Egypt. From then on, the embassy was headed by a Smolensk merchant, Vasily Poznyakov. Poznyakov's delegation visited Alexandria, Cairo, and Sinai, brought the patriarch a fur coat and an icon sent by the Tzar. Poznyakov's account of its two and half years' travels, which may have been the first ever Russian first-hand African trip report, became popular among Russian readers for centuries to follow.

Russia continued to provide support to Egyptian Christians for centuries to come.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, Russia supported the Mamluks of Egypt against the Ottomans. The Russians sent multiple expeditions to the Levant. In the first half of the 19th century, Russia and Egypt were at odds over the fate of the Ottoman Empire.

In the 1950s, Gamal Abdel Nasser's independent and anti-imperialist policy earned him enthusiastic support from the Communist government of the USSR. In 1955, Egypt made a major arms deal with Soviet Union, and from then, teams of Egyptian officers were trained in Eastern Bloc countries. Czechoslovak instructors also came in 1956, to train Egyptian personnel in the use of Soviet weapons. When France attacked Egypt during Suez Crisis, USSR threatened to use destructive weapons i.e. nuclear weapons for the defense of Egypt. The degree of the Soviet approval of the Egyptian leader's policies culminated, rather controversially, in the award of the highest Soviet decoration, the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin to Nasser during Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the country in 1964.

During the Nasser years, many young Egyptians studied in Soviet universities and military schools. Among them was the future president, Hosni Mubarak, who went for training in a military pilot school in Kyrgyzstan. During the War of Attrition, USSR sent 10-15000 servicemen to operate the air defense of Egypt against Israeli air attacks.

The relationship went sour within years after the death of Nasser, when the new president, Anwar Sadat, started re-orienting the country toward the West. On May 27, 1971, a friendship treaty was signed between the two countries, but relations were nevertheless declining. In July 1972, it was claimed the Egyptian government expelled Soviet military advisors from Egypt, however new research indicates that this was disinformation to hide Egypt's offensive plans, and captured Egyptian documents demonstrate that Soviet advisors continued in their previous roles of training Egyptian troops, and were certainly present during the war in 1973. During the Yom Kippur War, Soviet Union sent several thousands of tonnes of aid to Egypt. Brezhnev threatened to intervene on behalf of Egypt if Israel broke the ceasefire. Lieutenant General Anatoly Pushkin claimed that 1500 Soviet pilots and air defense experts engaged in combat for Egypt during the war. In March 1976 Egypt abrogated the friendship treaty, and relations between the two countries were damaged once again when Egypt supported the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan when the USSR invaded in 1979. In September 1981, these relations were severed by the Egyptian government, accusing Soviet leadership of trying to undermine Sadat's leadership in retaliation to the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. Relations were reestablished under president Hosni Mubarak in 1984, and Alexander Belonogov became the Ambassador. In February 1989, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Shevardnadze visited Egypt.

Intergovernmental relations improved after the fall of Communism in the USSR, and Russia's appearance as an independent political actor.

In April 2005, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, visited Egypt, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited Russia in April 2008. Both countries agreed to work together to help Egypt create a nuclear program which is mostly for civilian purposes. In May 2013, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi

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