CAIRO, Mar 3 (Aswat Masriya) - Russia's defence minster Sergei Shoigu told Egyptian counterpart Sedki Sobhi that the current situation in the Middle East and the world drives Moscow and Cairo toward cooperation, an Egyptian army statement said on Wednesday.

The statement cites Shoigu as saying that Egypt is considered one of Russia's "most important" Middle East partners.  

"Egypt's combating of terrorism will not be in the interests of Egyptians alone, but the interests of all countries in the region," he added.

Sobhi started a trip to the Russian capital on Saturday, leading a high-level military delegation, a trip that comes at a time in which the two countries are increasing military and nuclear cooperation, as well as cooperation in other fields. 

Sobhi said Egypt appreciates Russia's "supportive" position, adding that cooperation between the two countries serves to preserve peace and security in the Middle East and the world. 

The two sides discussed the current regional and international challenges. They discussed the changes happening in the region and how they reflect on security and stability in the Middle East.            

Coinciding with the minister's trip to Moscow, Russian secretary of the Kremlin's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev arrived in Cairo, where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.    

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Egyptian counterpart, during the former's visit to Cairo in February and the two sides agreed to “reinforce military cooperation”.

They additionally agreed to build a power plant in Egypt to generate electricity using nuclear energy, among several other cooperation agreements.