RIO DE JANEIRO/MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
The talks are taking place on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Brazil.
Following the meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "the two countries' foreign ministers exchanged views on the most pressing aspects of the situation in the Middle East, focusing on the situation in the Gaza Strip."
Lavrov and Shoukry "underlined the need to consolidate international efforts as soon as possible in the interests of a just settlement on a universally recognized basis, which implies the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in peace and security with Israel," the statement said.
The parties discussed the further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Egyptian relations, including enhancing foreign policy cooperation in the United Nations and other international platforms, as well as implementing largescale projects in the trade and economic sphere, it said.
The G20 ministers are expected to meet later on Wednesday for the first plenary session of Brazil's G20 presidency.