Putin arrives in Cairo for talks with Egypt counterpart

By Mahmud al-Husseini

CAIRO (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cairo on Monday for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

The talks between the two leaders will tackle bilateral cooperation and regional issues, the Egyptian Presidency said in an earlier statement.

Putin is expected to sign contracts for Egypt's first nuclear power plant during his visit to the country.

The construction of the 4,800 megawatt capacity plant, which will be built in Dabaa in northern Egypt, is expected to be completed within seven years.

Egyptian-Russian relations have greatly improved since al-Sisi came to power in 2014 following the overthrow of his predecessor Mohamed Morsi in a military coup one year earlier.

Tension, however, has overshadowed ties in recent months after Moscow suspended air flights to Egypt following the crash of a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula in late 2015.