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Russia and Egypt sign Nuclear deal during President Putin’s Historic visit to Cairo
11 February 2015
EIRNS— In what is being described as an "historic visit," Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cairo last night for a two-day official visit on the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. A Memorandum of Understanding for Russia to construct Egypt’s first nuclear power station was one of the agreements signed. Putin and el-Sisi attended a concert and later a dinner last night, where Putin presented el-Sisi with an AK 47 rifle as a gift. On Feb. 10 Putin received what was described as an "extravagant welcome" at Cairo’s Qasr El-Qobba Palace, complete with 21-gun salute, military parade including a troop of mounted cavalry guards, and school children waving Egyptian and Russian flags. In a joint press conference, President al-Sisi said that the plants would be in Dabba, on the Mediterranean coast, where Egypt had intended to build a plant when Hosni Mubarak was President, which work was halted after the Chernobyl accident. Putin said at the press conference, "If the final agreements are reached, we will not only help [in] building nuclear power plants but will be able to assist [Egypt] in creating an entire nuclear industry...including through training of personnel and help with scientific research." Sergey Kirienko, head of Rosatom, said that the "comprehensive cooperation is expected to provide financial support in the form of an interstate credit." The tentative plan, he said, is for four reactors, 1200 MW each. Russia and Egypt signed an intergovernmental agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in 2008. This new MOU allows Russia to submit an application for a tender to build the plants. |
