President Abdel Al- Fattah Al-Sisi met Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev Monday, with the two sides discussing the strengthening of mutual relations between the two countries. Al-Sisi asserted that Egypt is adopting not only a security solution to counter terrorism but also to reach out to include the economic and developmental aspects in the fight against militant groups. He also focused on the importance of "correcting the religious discourse and amending the wrong understanding of religion". On several occasions, Al-Sisi related what he called a flawed interpretation of religious texts to the rise of militancy and terrorism. During the meeting, the pair also discussed political developments in the Middle East, where Al-Sisi emphasised the importance of helping countries in the region who are suffering the terrible effects of terrorism. Al-Sisi has previously preached a political solution in Syria, condemning the military solution. Russia, alongside China, vetoed a UN resolution calling for the Syria crisis to be referred to the International Criminal Court, and opposed military intervention against forces of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad. In his earlier visit in February 2014 as defence minister, Al-Sisi and Putin agreed on a $3.5bn deal, through which Russia provides Egypt with MIG-29 fighter jets. The deal would also see Russia provide Egypt with Kornet anti-tank missile systems as well as MI-35 attack helicopters According to online trade publication Defense Industry Daily, the MIG-29 fighter jets have since been expected. The planned delivery of the MI-35 attack helicopters has been widely interpreted as a reaction to the US's withholding on the delivery of 10 Apache attack helicopters until April 2014.
