Russia's Putin arrives in Cairo for two-day visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cairo on Monday for a two-day official visit.

Accompanied by a high-level delegation, the Russian leader was received at Cairo International Airport by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Egypt's El-Sisi accompanied his guest to the Opera House in central Cairo to watch a cultural show on Egyptian-Russian relations which was followed by a luncheon banquet.

Russian flags and posters of Putin have been put up across Cairo to welcome the visiting president who has not visited the country in a decade.

The official reception of the Russian leader will take place on Tuesday, while talks between the two leaders will start following the ceremony.

According to state-run Ahram newspaper's website, the countries' official delegations will engage in talks and the two presidents will sign a number of strategic and economic agreements.

Talks on Tuesday are to include topics such as fighting in Libya, the civil war in Syria and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, Ahram reported.

The two leaders will hold a press conference in Cairo after the talks.

El-Sisi visited Russia twice over the past year, the first as the defense minister in February and the second as the president in August.

Last September, the two countries have reached an initial arms deal worth 3.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Observers believe that Egypt is currently seeking closer ties and further cooperation with Russia as part of the North African country's foreign policy to balance its ties with world powers.

Analysts said Putin's visit is seen as the beginning of a new chapter in Egypt's foreign policy, especially after its ties with the United States deteriorated following the army's removal of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Egypt was one of Russia's closest allies for two decades, starting from the 1950s, under Egypt's late nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser.

However, relations between the two countries froze in the 1970s when former president Anwar al-Sadat shifted Egypt's foreign policy and military alignment towards the U.S. soon after the 1973 Egyptian war with Israel and the signing of a peace treaty in 1979. Endit