Russian and Egyptian presidents sign partnership treaty
MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi signed a strategic cooperation treaty Wednesday that is intended to bolster trade and other ties between the two nations.
The treaty capped a three-day visit to Russia by the Egyptian leader. During his talks with Putin on Wednesday, El-Sissi also urged Russia to resume direct flights to Egyptian resorts, which Moscow suspended after a bomb planted by the Islamic State group brought a Russian plane down over Sinai in October 2015, killing all 224 people 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.
Putin said after the talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi that he and el-Sissi discussed the issue and Egyptian officials have done "everything necessary to enhance flight security."
