Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin reached a “consensus” over the concerted efforts of both countries to counter terrorism. During a Wednesday phone call between the two presidents, they agreed on the need to strengthen international cooperation in the face of terrorism, following Russia’s announcement that a bomb had crashed the plane flying from Sharm Al-Sheikh on 31 October. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed Tuesday that a homemade bomb downed the Metrojet Airbus 321-200 in Egypt’s Sinai Desert. The “terrorist act” killed all 224 people on board, mostly Russian vacationers flying from the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. Russia suspended all flights to Egypt, then banned EgyptAir flights from entering Moscow, while Sharm Al-Sheikh Airport security was heavily criticized. ISIS claimed responsibility of the crash twice, declaring that it was punishing Moscow for its air campaign in Syria. Speaking out after the Russian announcement, Putin called the incident “one of the bloodiest crimes” and promised retribution for “the murder of our people in Sinai.” The Russian investigation, to which Egyptian Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal responded by saying that “so far, there…
Egyptian-Russian Affairs Remain Unscathed in Plane Downing Aftermath
November 18, 2015
