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 Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on Monday, a presidency statement read. The meeting, which took place 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. 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. Source: Ahram Online
