Egyptian president urges Russia to resume direct flights to resorts
moscow — Egypt’s president urged Russia on Tuesday to resume direct flights to Egyptian resorts as he discussed ways to bolster ties with Russian officials and lawmakers.
Moscow suspended the flights after a bomb planted by the Daesh group brought a Russian passenger plane down over Sinai in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board.
Flights between Moscow and Cairo resumed in April after Egyptian officials beefed up airport security, but talks about restoring direct air travel to Egypt’s Red Sea resorts have dragged on.
Addressing the Russian parliament’s upper house, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi emphasized that restoring the flights was essential for Egypt’s tourism industry.
Following meetings in Moscow with top Russian lawmakers and Cabinet ministers, Sis met over dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The two leaders have developed a close personal rapport and sought to expand bilateral ties, which have strengthened considerably over the past few years.
Sisi is on his fourth trip to Russia since taking office in 2014, and Putin visited Egypt in 2015 and 2017.
Egypt has signed deals to buy billions of dollars’ worth of Russian weapons, including fighter jets and assault helicopters. —