June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he has secured the support of Israel and all other involved parties for Middle East peace talks, as he seeks to boost his country’s influence in the region.

A “Moscow conference on the Middle East should become an important stage in our actions” toward peace talks, Medvedev said in a speech today to the 22-member Arab League in Cairo. “Today we have principal agreement from all parties.”

The Russian president also warned against forcing democracy on Arab states and praised U.S. President Barack Obama’s address to the Arab world, saying it showed more tolerance.

U.S. influence has eclipsed Russia’s role in the Middle East since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Medvedev’s speech to the Arab League comes less than three weeks after Obama traveled to Cairo and called for a “new beginning” for the U.S. and the Muslim world.

“There are things to learn from the Arab world and therefore, mentoring, forcing democracy and especially direct interference are absolutely inadmissible,” Medvedev said. “Understanding of this is growing in the world. One example is President Barack Obama’s speech.”

Medvedev also said he supports a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem as a result of a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Egyptian Support

Earlier, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stressed his nation’s support for the proposed Moscow conference. Many Arabs still praise the former Soviet Union for supplying Egypt and Syria with arms, as well as technical and financial assistance, during their wars with Israel.

Medvedev’s visit was the first stop on a four-country African trip that also includes Nigeria, Namibia and Angola. Russia, the world’s largest energy supplier, seeks allies among other producers. Companies including OAO Gazprom, OAO Rosneft, OAO Lukoil and OAO Novatek either have active projects in Nigeria, Angola and Egypt or seek to break into these markets, according to Russia’s Economy Ministry.

Russia and Egypt agreed on long-term wheat contracts that will increase shipments from the current annual level of about 3 million metric tons, Russian Deputy Economy Minister Andrei Slepnev told reporters today.

The total value of Russian-Egyptian trade last year was $1.7 billion, down from $2.1 billion in 2007, according to data provided by the Russian government. It says about 1.8 million Russian tourists visited Egypt in 2008, contributing $2 billion to Egypt’s economy.

The two countries also signed a 10-year strategic partnership agreement that focuses on energy and infrastructure projects and military cooperation.

To contact the reporter on this story: Maria Kolesnikova in Cairo via the Moscow newsroom at mkolesnikova@bloomberg.net; Alaa Shahine in Cairo at at asalha@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 23, 2009 14:42 EDT