Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed their country's keenness to develop strategic relations with Egypt during a meeting with President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi on Monday, a presidency statement read. The meeting in Cairo tackled boosting cooperation and joint counter-terrorism efforts as well as developments in the region, mainly in Syria. The Egyptian president expressed Cairo's keenness to consolidate partnership with Russia in economic, commercial and industrial fields. El-Sisi praised the important projects that the two countries are cooperating on in Egypt, including the construction of the Dabaa nuclear power station and the establishment of a Russian industrial zone. The two parties agreed to continue coordination on combating terrorism, and the Russian officials hailed Egypt's efforts as chair of UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee. Earlier on Monday, the Egyptian-Russian (2+2) talks kicked off. The talks focus on bolstering military cooperation between the two states. Cairo has been engaged in talks with Russia for over a year to discuss the resumption of Russian flights to Egypt. Russia suspended flights to Egypt in 2015 after a Russian airliner crashed shortly after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport, killing all 224 people on board. Tourists from Russia have traditionally been a key contributor to Egypt's tourism industry, a key source of hard currency for the country.
