Putin kicks off ME tour

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak during their meeting in Cairo yesterday. President Vladimir Putin arrived in Egypt yesterday on the first visit by a Russian head of state in more than 40 years, in an effort to reinforce Moscow's political and economic ties with the Arab world. PHOTO: AFP

On Wednesday, Mr Putin became the first Russian leader to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories. Russia is one of the four sponsors of the Middle East peace plan, known as the roadmap.

However, Moscow has not wielded significant power in the Middle East since the height of the Cold War, the BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Moscow says.

With this Middle East tour it seems President Putin is hoping to revive some of Russia's lost prestige, our correspondent says.

He adds that in Israel, President Putin is likely to face some tough questioning about Russia's support for regimes in Syria and Iran.

President Putin was received by Mr Mubarak at his Abdeen palace in central Cairo, where the two leaders held talks, followed by an official dinner.

Further talks are scheduled on Wednesday.

"The Palestinian issue will be central during the discussions on regional Middle East issues," Egyptian presidential spokesman Sulieman Awad told reporters.

Mr Putin also wants to bolster Russia's political and economic relations with Egypt.

The two countries enjoyed close ties until the 1970s when Egypt turned to the US which has since become its most strategic foreign partner, analysts say.