MOSCOW, NOV 1, SPA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak Thursday for talks on issues ranging from bilateral trade to the Middle East conflict. «I feel a strong connection between us,» Mubarak said when he and Putin sat down for talks in the Kremlin on Thursday. Putin also hailed Mubarak as an «old friend.» «Egypt is our traditional and very close partner and our relations have been developing successfully,» Putin said. Mubarak, who previously visited in May 2004 and hosted Putin last year, was also set to meet separately with Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and Russian industry and business leaders. The two countries' foreign ministers are also to hold talks. «Egypt and Russia have traditional historic relations,» he said Thursday. Topics of discussion during the visit will include theMiddle East conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said in a statement Wednesday, emphasizing Egypt's «leading political role in the region» and Russia's «weighty involvement» in peace efforts. He called cooperation between Russia and Egypt a«strategic partnership» and «a significant factor thathas a positive influence in the stabilization of theatmosphere in the Middle East.» Russian-Egyptian trade reached US$1.6 billion (¤1.25billion) in 2005. In the first eight months of this year itrose by more than 50 percent over the same period last year to more than US$950 million (¤745 million), the Associated Press reported.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/399838