Lavrov called Egypt the most important partner of the Russian Federation on security issues in the Middle East Egypt is the most important partner of Russia in the Middle East on security issues and dealing with challenges and threats, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. "Our attitude towards Egypt has never been opportunistic; we have always valued our partnership, our interaction since the days of the Soviet Union. Now, developing and deepening these traditions, we are creating new symbols for our interaction," he said at a meeting with the editors-in-chief of African media in Moscow.