Egypt’s Sisi in Sharm to reassure investors; laments premature conclusions about Sinai crash

Pressure on Egypt will not defeat Egyptians’ desire to succeed, said President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday in a press statement after landing in Sharm El-Sheikh Airport.

“I came here to send a message to investors in Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada,” he said, confirming that the region is still safe for investments.

El-Sisi’s visit comes ten days after the crash of Russian airbus A321, which killed all 224 people on board while on route from Sinai to Russia’s St. Petersburg.

Al-Ahram reported that El-Sisi is visiting Sharm to discuss the repercussions of the Russian plane crash and visit tourist sites along with tourism minister Hisham Zaazou and South Sinai governor Khaled Fouda.

There are some official speculations that the plane was brought down by a bomb, suggesting lax security in Sharm El-Sheikh Airport.

“For months we have welcomed the presence of foreign experts in all Egyptian airports.” El-Sisi said.

“However, we prefer to not jump to conclusions before the investigation results are announced,” he added.

Last week, many international airlines decided to suspend their flights to Sharm El-Sheikh, but UK and Russia showed the most significant response to the crash, with Britain sending planes to retrieve thousands of its citizens from Sinai and other Red Sea sites in Egypt. British officials said it could take 10 days for all British tourists to be returned home.

Russia, which had 80,000 of its citizens in Red Sea resorts, sent 44 planes for Russians in Egypt.

Russian President Vladimir Putin decided on Friday to suspend all flights to Egypt until the cause behind the plane crash is determined.

source: Ahram Online