Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in a telephone conversation discussed details of the implementation of joint projects between the two countries, the Kremlin press service said on Monday.
"Special attention was paid to trade and economic ties and, above all, the progress of such major joint projects as the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Egypt on the Russian model and the creation of the Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal area," the press service said in a statement.
The project of the industrial park for Russian companies in eastern Port Said involves the creation of a special zone with a simplified tax regime and preferential tariffs on energy resources for Russian residents.
The nuclear power plant in Ed-Dabaa will consist of four power units with advanced "three plus" generation reactors, which will ensure the highest level of plant and site safety in accordance with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said representatives of the project in Cairo. Egypt's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority is reviewing documents for the license to build the first and second units of the plant.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the work on ensuring air safety which made it possible to open flights from Russia to Egyptian resorts. He "expressed gratitude for effective joint work in the context of aviation security in Egyptian airports, as a result of which full-scale air communication between Russia and Egypt has been restored since August this year," stated in the press service report.
Putin and el-Sisi noted the importance of further coordination in resolving crises in Africa and the Middle East. "The leaders noted the importance of further coordination of steps in the international arena, including the settlement of various crises in the Middle East and Africa," the report said.
The press service informed that the presidents also discussed topical issues of Russian-Egyptian interaction. "A high assessment was given to the achieved level of relations between the two countries, which are of the nature of all-round partnership and strategic cooperation and are progressively developing in various areas," the statement said.
According to the results of their conversation, the leaders agreed to continue personal contacts.
On November 9, Russia and Egypt officially resumed charter air communication, which was not more than five years - since the moment when in 2015 the plane of Kogalymavia airlines flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg crashed in the sky over the Sinai Peninsula. The fundamental decision on the possibility of resuming air links between Russia and Egypt was made in 2018: then carriers were allowed to perform regular flights between Moscow and Cairo (only Aeroflot performed them). In July 2021, the Russian president signed a decree canceling the ban on other flights between the countries, including charter flights. At the same time, the recommendation to tour operators and travel agents not to sell tours to Egyptian resorts was canceled.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of RF
Based on materials TASS