Russia undeterred in plans to inaugurate consulate in Egypt’s Hurghada

Russia is not going to curtail its plans to open a consulate-general in the western Egyptian city of Hurghada, despite the suspension of Russian tourist traffic to Egypt, the head of the consular department of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

“In November 2015, the Russian government adopted a decree on the opening of a Russian Consulate-General in Hurghada. There is no intention to curtail these plans,” Yevgeny Ivanov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to Ivanov, Russia is currently finalizing consultations on all related technical issues, such as the location of the new diplomatic mission, with the Egyptian side.

On October 31, a Russia-operated Airbus A321 crashed en route from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board the plane were killed in what is considered to have been a terrorist attack. Soon after the catastrophe, Russia suspended all passenger flights to and from Egypt, citing security concerns.

On January 30, the speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, Sergey Naryshkin, said that there was a possibility that Russian tourists would soon return to Egyptian resorts, as the Egyptian authorities have taken significant steps to ensure security in public places.

Source: Sputnik