U.S., Russia delegations in Egypt for airport security inspections
A delegation from the U.S. department of transportation is on a four-day visit to Egypt to follow up on the security procedures at Cairo International Airport.
The visit comes as part of a series of inspections by foreign governments and international organisations following the downing of a Russian passenger plane in Sinai in October 2015, reported state media.
The delegation will inspect security procedures for passengers and luggage, and security measures taken on EgyptAir flights to the United States.
A Russian delegation has been on a week-long inspection visit since Sunday, also reviewing security measures in Egyptian airports.
Security measurements have been tightened at airports across Egypt since the Russian A321 plane crashed in Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, the majority of whom were Russian nationals.
Moscow announced in November that the crash was due to an act of terrorism, but Egypt insisted that the cause cannot be determined until investigations are complete.
The militant group “Islamic State” (IS) claimed responsibility for the incident.
In November, Russia issued an immediate suspension of all commercial flights to and from Egypt, pending a report on the status of security procedures at Egyptian airports. Several other international airlines also suspended flights to and from the Sharm El-Sheikh airport.
In a statement issued Thursday, Egyptian prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek said he referred the case of the Russian plane crash to the State Security Prosecution, due to suspicion of criminal activity, according to a Russian report.
Source: Daily News Egypt
