MOSCOW, November 11 (RIA Novosti) - Egypt expects to double its annual trade with Russia to $8 billion in coming years, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said on Tuesday.

"Currently, trade [between Egypt and Russia] stands at almost $4 billion. We expect this figure to double in coming years," Nazif said at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Nazif said he had arrived in Moscow with a delegation of officials from various branches of the Egyptian economy. "We are ready to hold detailed discussions on all areas. In particular, this relates to energy, transport, trade and investment."

The Egyptian premier said tourism was an important issue in bilateral relations as the number of Russian tourists travelling to Egypt was growing steadily and could reach 2 million this year.

In turn, Putin said trade between Russia and Egypt had risen fivefold in the past five years.

"This is not yet the limit," Putin said.

Putin said Russia regarded Egypt as its privileged and strategic partner.