CAIRO (Itar-Tass/ AFP) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev began a visit to Egypt on Tuesday and signed a strategic cooperation pact with Cairo as Russia seeks to boost its diplomatic clout in the Middle East.

Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Hosni Mubarak signed the cooperation pact.
The three-page document defines bilateral cooperation areas for the next decade.
Besides, Russia and Egypt signed an agreement on the transfer of convicts, an agreement on the suppression of drug and psychotropic substance trafficking, and an environmental cooperation memorandum.
The two justice ministries signed a document on mutual understanding. The Federal Archives Agency and the Egyptian National Library and Archives signed a cooperation memorandum. The Russian TV and Radio Broadcasting Company and the Egyptian Radio and Television Union signed a cooperation protocol.
Russia, part of the diplomatic ""quartet"" charged with settling the Middle East conflict along with the European Union, the United Nations and the United States, is eager to strengthen its diplomatic and commercial clout abroad.
Photo:
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak (R) and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev attend an arrival ceremony at the presidential palace in Cairo June 23, 2009. (Reuters/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Dmitry Astakhov)