Terror attack against A321 plane targeted against Russia and its relations with Egypt - Russian deputy defense minister

MOSCOW, November 25 /TASS/. Terrorists who blew up a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31 attacked Russia and its relations with Egypt, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday commenting on the position of Egyptian leaders which they expressed at negotiations with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held in Cairo. "Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu discussed that subject at negotiations with the Egyptian president and defense minister," Antonov said. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Defense Minister Sedki Sobhi Sayyid Ahmed presented their condolences to Shoigu over the terrorist attack against the A321 plane. "They (the Egyptian leaders) believe that the terrorists tried to attack and gun down the Russian-Egyptian relations," Antonov said. The A321 plane belonging to Russia’s air company Kogalymavia was flying from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg in Russia (flight KGL 9268) when it crashed over the Sinai Peninsula early on October 31. The plane fell near El Hasna populated locality 100 km to the south of Al-Arish, the administrative center of the North Sinai Governorate (province). All the 224 people onboard, including 217 passengers and the 7-member crew, died. The passengers, most of whom were Russians, also included four Ukrainians and one citizen of Belarus. According to Antonov, the participants in the Russian-Egyptian talks noted that the terror attack (a bomb planted onboard) against the A321 airliner made it imperative for the world community to unite efforts for the struggle against the Islamic State (which is banned in Russia as an extremist organization) in which the Russian-Egyptian cooperation is playing a vital role. The Russian deputy defense minister said that Egypt had more and more questions about the sources of supply for the terrorists. "One of the main task today is to tap off the financial sources that are feeding terrorist threats," Antonov said. The Egyptian leadership is lauding the actions of the Russian Aerospace Force in Syria. "It was noted that in just a few weeks the Russian Armed Forces had done far more than the anti-IS coalition and that concrete results were visible," Antonov said. He added that Egypt firmly believed that concrete results could be achieved with the help of the Russian army if other countries, including Egypt, joined efforts. "The Egyptian people like no one else want to see the situation in the region stabilize. Strong, efficient and reliable armed forces are the only barrier to prevent terrorism from getting a foothold in the territory of Egypt," Antonov stressed adding that the authorities in Cairo were determined to build up interaction by using Russian experience in various spheres. In his comments on Shoigu’s visit to Cairo made earlier on Wednesday, Antonov said Egypt intended to buy a wide range of weapons and military hardware from Russia. The Egyptian side, he said, had promised to prepare an order in the weeks to come. Antonov did not clarify what type of weapons was in question. Previous reports said that Cairo could obtain Ka-52K helicopters designed for the Mistral class helicopter carriers and the appropriate equipment. According to Kremlin Administration Chief Sergei Ivanov, the contract may cost more than a billion U.S. dollars. Read more