This Wednesday, Cairo is receiving a high-level delegation from the Russian Federation headed by Russia’s First Deputy Minister of Industry Gleb Nikitin, in the framework of joint cooperation between Cairo and Moscow, state-run media reported today.
According to Al-Ahram Arabic, the delegation is comprised of representatives of 35 Russian companies, in a two-day visit for talks with government officials over establishing a Russian industrial zone in Egypt. Russian trade representative in Cairo, Fedor Lukashin, on Tuesday said that Gleb Nikitin will conduct a series of meetings and consultations with the concerned ministries in Egypt.
Additionally, Nikitin and the accompanying delegation will pay visits for infrastructure projects in the country. Lukashi stressed that the Egyptian and Russian sides are both working closely on a draft agreement on the establishment of a Russian industrial zone which is expected to be signed before the end of this year.
Lukashin asserted that the region has all the components and prospects to become a flagship project as it falls within the framework of the Suez Canal’s economic zone development programme. He also pointing out that the Russian delegation will include company representatives from the automotive, pharmaceutical, oil and gas equipment, railway, mining, nuclear and clean energy fields in addition to a range of other industries.
According to Lukashin, the project of establishing a Russian industrial region was suggested by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his visit to Sochi in August 2014, pointing out that it will be one of the most important cooperation moves between Cairo and Moscow.
Lukashin told Al-Ahram Gate that a memorandum of understanding was signed between the ministers of trade and industry from both countries during the tenth session of the Russia-Egypt Intergovernmental Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, which met in Cairo on January 31-February 2 last year.
