Putin, Al Sissi meet to boost bilateral trade

Visiting president also urges Putin to resume direct flights to Egyptian resorts

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting his Egyptian counterpart Abdul Fattah Al Sissi for talks focusing on boosting trade between both nations, at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Bilateral trade rose by 62 per cent last year, reaching $6.7 billion.

Al Sissi also called on Russia to resume direct flights to Egyptian resorts, which Moscow suspended after a bomb planted by Daesh brought down a Russian passenger plane over Sinai in October 2015, killing all 224 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.

Egypt has also signed deals to buy billions of dollars’ worth of Russian weapons, including fighter jets and assault helicopters. When Putin visited Cairo last December, officials signed a deal for Russia to build a nuclear power plant in Dabaa.

Putin’s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told media that the two presidents will discuss the implementation of the nuclear plant contract, besides international issues focusing on the situation in Syria, Libya, Yemen and the Palestinian-Israeli issue.