Story highlights Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Cairo

Putin says trade between the countries increased by 80% last year

El-Sisi says they discussed ways to find a peaceful solution to the Syria crisis

Cairo (CNN) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a preliminary agreement to cooperate on building a nuclear power plant after meeting Tuesday in Cairo.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Putin focused on economic cooperation, saying there was an 80% increase in trade between the two countries last year.

He said Russia would contribute to the construction of a nuclear power plant, training staff and scientific research.

El-Sisi covered both economic and political cooperation in his remarks.

The Egyptian President said he had stressed the importance of "military cooperation" to his Russian counterpart and the continuation of "strategic relations" and high-level meetings to discuss regional issues.

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