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Resumption of Russian tourism dependent on A321 plane crash investigation results: Ambassador Moscow believes that the incident was act of terror, and current investigations are based on this, says Kirpichenko
Russian Ambassador to Egypt Serge Kirpichenko said the continuation of flights between Egypt and Russia is dependent on the results of the investigation, noting that there is no conjecture over the return of Russian tourism. "Moscow is confident in its belief that what happened to the Russian plane was a terror act, and the current investigation is being carried out accordingly," Kirpichenko told state-owned MENA. "The explosion of the aeroplane was a great misfortune; life cannot be compensated," he added. The ambassador refused to comment on the latest reports on the identity of the attackers, saying: "I don't want to comment on any news published in media outlets ... These reports are not credible." Kirpichenko stressed that the accident did not affect Egyptian-Russian relations, saying: "Both countries wish to restore Russian tourism in Egypt." According to Kirpichenko, meetings are being held between experts from both sides to ensure that such an incident does not recur. He expressed Russia's eagerness to re-establish Russian tourism in Egypt, especially following tensions between Russia and Turkey. Russian experts who visited Cairo airports requested information regarding security issues, and the Egyptian side was very cooperative, said Kirpichenko. He further welcomed Egypt's decision to purchase new security equipment for the airports. Chairman of Cairo Airport Company Ahmed Saeed said Wednesday that Russian authorities will send a report with their security recommendations within the next 15 days, following the review of the airport's security procedures in January by a delegation of Russian experts Saeed told journalists that several countries reviewed the airports' security protocol, including the United States and Russia. He added that Egypt received initial security recommendations from Russia, which he claims have already been implemented in Egyptian airports. However, the final report has yet to be delivered to Egyptian authorities. According to Saeed, more than 140 security cameras were added inside and outside the airport, at a cost of EGP 28m.
