Russian economy minister to visit Cairo

Egyptian economic sources said that Mikhail Fradkov, the Russian minister of foreign economics and trade, will visit Cairo in next January.

The visit aims at following up on the meetings held between the two countries during President Mubarak's visit to Moscow last September. It will also tackle establishing a free commercial zone between the two countries and forming a council for Egyptian - Russian businessmen.

Fradkov and his accompanying delegation, which comprises a group of Russian businessmen, will discuss with Dr. Ahmed El-Goweili, the Egyptian minister of supplies and commerce, methods of increasing commerce between the two countries from $40 million to $1 billion during the next two years.

During his visit to Cairo Fradkov will meet with Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri and Yousef Butros Ghali, the Egyptian economic minister.