August 26, 2015•Update: August 30, 2015
CAIRO
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is planning to build a nuclear power plant in Egypt.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow with visiting Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Putin said that Russia and Egypt have agreed to take steps to bolster bilateral economic cooperation.
“Among our joint cooperation projects is the building of a nuclear power plant [in Egypt] with Russian technology,” Putin said.
He added that Russian and Egyptian experts are now finalizing measures to accomplish this project.
Putin said that he agreed with Sisi to form a trade zone as part of efforts to enhance bilateral relations between Russia and Egypt.
Sisi, for his part, hailed strong relations between Egypt and Russia, saying that his country was looking to establish a strategic partnership with Russia.
He said that Egypt was looking forward to benefiting from the Russian nuclear expertise, adding that both countries have made remarkable progress in terms of making use of nuclear power.
In February, Cairo and Moscow signed a memorandum of understanding to build a nuclear reactor for power generation in Egypt's northwestern Al-Dabaa region.
The power plant is expected to have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts.
Egyptian-Russian relations have greatly improved since 2013 when the military deposed President Mohamed Morsi in a coup.
Last year, the two countries signed a $3.5 billion arms deal during a visit by Sisi to Russia.
Trade volume between Egypt and Russia also grew 103 percent in the past six months, according to Egypt's central bank.
