Russia to Do Utmost to Integrate Egypt Into BRICS During Presidency, Putin Vows
MOSCOW(Sputnik) - Russia expects that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi will attend the BRICS summit in Russia's Kazan scheduled for later in the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
"We are waiting for you, dear Mr. Sisi, at the unification summit [of BRICS] in Kazan in October this year," Putin said during the ceremony of the start of the construction of the fourth power unit of Dabaa nuclear power plant (NPP).
Russia has planned more than 200 BRICS events, and Moscow expects that representatives of Egypt will take an active part in them, the president said.
"New promising opportunities for building up our fruitful cooperation are opening up in connection with Egypt's accession to the BRICS. I would like to emphasize that from the very beginning, Russia sincerely supported the desire of the Egyptian side to become a full member of this association. During the Russian presidency of the BRICS this year, we will try to do everything possible for Egypt to effectively integrate into the work of the group," Putin said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi said that he is deeply grateful to Russian President Vladimir Putin for implementing the Dabaa nuclear power plant project.
"I would like to express my deep gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the implementation of the project," Sisi said during the ceremony to start the construction of the fourth power unit of Dabaa nuclear power plant.
The construction of Egypt's first nuclear power plant is proceeding at a faster pace than was initially agreed, Sisi added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi launched on Tuesday the construction of the fourth power unit of the Dabaa nuclear power plant (NPP) in Egypt via videoconference.
Pouring the first concrete into the foundation of the building where the nuclear reactor will be located means the start of the construction of the entire new power unit. After this, the project will be implemented to full capacity — all four blocks of the nuclear power plant will be built simultaneously.
Speaking about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict during the launching ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he is in constant contact with his Egyptian counterpart on the issue.
"And in general, Sisi and I are in constant contact ... we regularly discuss all the most significant issues on the international and regional agenda for our countries. In particular, we exchange opinions and coordinate positions in connection with the tragic development of the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and resolve issues of a humanitarian nature," Putin said during the ceremony to launch the construction of the fourth power unit of the Dabaa nuclear power plant.
