{Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, at the start of a two-day visit to Cairo.}
Both men are seeking to boost bilateral ties, with Mr Putin emphasising Egypt’s status as Russia’s “trusted partner”.
He presented Mr Sisi with a Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle when he arrived on Monday.
Mr Putin is a key ally of the former army chief, who the West has criticised for cracking down on dissent since the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi.
At least 1,400 supporters of Mr Morsi and his Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, have been killed in clashes with security forces since July 2013. More than 16,000 others have been detained.
On Tuesday, three home-made bombs exploded at police stations in Egypt’s second city, Alexandria, injuring 10 people, officials said. Two other blasts in the west of the Mediterranean city damaged a bus.
A group calling itself Revolutionary Punishment said it had planted the bombs in response to what it termed “violations” by the government.
‘Dynamic’ relations
Mr Putin arrived in Cairo late on Monday, attending a cultural show at Cairo’s opera house with Mr Sisi.
In an interview with Egypt’s state-run al-Ahram newspaper, the Russian leader hailed “dynamic” bilateral relations, saying that trade increased by almost 50% in 2014 compared with the year before.
{{Source: BBC}}
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