Russian specialists might be engaged to improve security at Egyptian airports - Russian ambassador to Cairo
MOSCOW. April 7 (Interfax) - The engagement of Russian specialists in providing security at Egyptian airports on a permanent basis remains open to question, and a visit of Russian experts to Egypt planned for April to inspect the local airports may be not the final one, Russian Ambassador to Egypt Sergei Kirpichenko said.
"It's true that the two parties are discussing the engagement of Russian specialists. No specific decisions have yet been made on this account. The matter is likely to be settled in a package with other measures aimed at improving air travel safety," Kirpichenko said in an interview with Interfax.
Asked whether, in light of the latest events, the Russian experts would be visiting Egypt to inspect airport security in April, for the last time, as was planned earlier, the diplomat replied, that "Both the Russian Transport Ministry and other ministries, and other agencies, have maintained permanent contact with their Egyptian partners."
"We have had a series of meetings dealing with air travel security. As you have lawfully mentioned, such meetings will be continued in April, as well. It's hard to say whether they will be final," he said.
"This work is very painstaking, and requires a lot of responsibility. Naturally, it cannot involve mistakes and haste," Kirpichenko said.
The ambassador also reaffirmed Russia's intention to inspect Egyptian resort areas.
"Guarantees of security in Egypt's resort areas, and at tourist sites, are a subject that representatives of our country, as well as other countries from which tourists come there, have regularly discussed with Cairo. The inspections that you have mentioned are not something done only once. They took place in the past, and will be arranged in the future, as may be agreed upon between the parties concerned," Kirpichenko said, in commenting on Russian media reports saying that Russian Federal Tourism Agency (Rostourism) head, Oleg Safonov, had asked the government to demand that Egypt guarantee security of its resort areas and tourist sites and allow inspections at its resorts.
"What should be kept in mind is that terrorists have announced themselves, on numerous occasions in Egypt, by committing bloody crimes. The issue of countering them is a regular item on the Russian-Egyptian agenda," he said.
