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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Cairo - Walid Abdul Rahman

Sisi, Putin Agree to Resume Flights to Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh

Sisi and Putin during a previous meeting. (Egyptian Presidency via Facebook)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to fully resume flights between the two countries, especially to the Egyptian resort towns of Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh.

The announcement came following a phone call Friday between the two leaders, Egyptian Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said.

Observers expect the resumption of flights would positively affect the Egyptian tourism sector.

Flights to resort destinations Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada were suspended after a Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai in October 2015, killing 224 people.

Official numbers show that a total of 2.8 million Russian tourists visited Egypt in 2015, down from 3.1 million in 2014.

According to Rady, Sisi and Putin tackled means of promoting bilateral cooperation, especially in the tourism sector.

He said the Egyptian president welcomed the resumption of flights between their countries, hoping the decision would give momentum to bilateral ties and boost tourism.

For his part, Putin underlined his country's keenness on promoting cooperation with Egypt in various domains, hailing the achievements realized by Cairo in the economic field and social development, as well as the establishment of mega national projects.

He also lauded Egypt's efforts to improve the investment climate and develop the infrastructure, noting that Cairo plays a pivotal role in realizing regional stability.

Rady said the talks also tackled a host of regional issues, topped by the situation in Libya and the latest developments related to the dispute over the Ethiopian dam.

The two leaders discussed cooperation in various investment domains, especially the economic zone of the Suez Canal and the Dabaa nuclear plant.

Sisi and Putin also agreed to enhance coordination at all levels to confront challenges facing their countries.

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