PM witnesses signing of three agreements with Russia

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail witnessed Tuesday the signing ceremony of three cooperation agreements between the Egyptian and Russian ministries of industry, tourism and aviation.

The first agreement tackled the establishment of a Russian industrial zone in Egypt; the second is a memorandum of understanding for investment cooperation involving the National Bank of Egypt, Bank Misr and the Russian Direct Investment Fund; while the third is on cooperation between two companies from both countries.

Minister of Civil Aviation Hossam Kamel and Minister of Tourism Hesham Zazou attended the ceremony.

In statements following the signing, the prime minister said he met earlier Tuesday with Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Qabil and Russian Russian Minister of Commerce and Industry Denis Manturov.

The meeting tackled the establishment of a Russian industrial zone to set up a number of projects, cooperation in the field of aviation and modernizing the Egyptian aircraft fleet, tourism cooperation and ways to increase Egyptian exports to Russia, Ismail added.

The return of Russian flights to Egypt back to normal was also high on the agenda of the meeting, the premier said, noting that a joint group was working on the issue.

Meanwhile, the premier said the meeting planned to be held on Wednesday with members of the House of Representatives was only meant coordinate with the MPs to serve the best interests of Egyptian citizens. Within this context, Ismail added the government's program will be referred to the parliament once it is completed.