Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation Sherif Fathy has extended an invitation to a Russian technical team to visit Egypt soon in hope of resuming direct flights between Egypt and Russia suspended in the aftermath of the deadly October 2015 crash of a Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai. On Wednesday, the state owned MENA news agency reported that Fathy, returning from a visit to Russia, underlined the importance of resuming flights who enjoy a "real strategic partnership." Fathy and an Egyptian security and technical delegation held several sessions with Russian counterparts on the latest developments related to security in Egyptian airports, with security measures in airports enhanced in preparation for the return of flights. Fathy's visit comes one week before the visit by Egypt's Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek to Moscow to brief Russian officials on the latest news of investigations into the deadly October crash. During his four day visit to Moscow, Fathy held several meetings with Russian officials, including Russian Minister of Transport Maxim Sokolov.