Russia's Putin, Egypt's Sisi discuss nuclear deal, Middle East tensions

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Russian President Vladimir Putin met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Monday for talks over a nuclear power plant and tensions in the Middle East following Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The contract to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant in Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast was signed during a live ceremony shown on state television and attended by both the Russian and Egyptian leaders.

The contract was signed by the head of Russian state nuclear company Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, and Egypt's electricity and renewable energy minister, Mohamed Shaker.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah e‍l-Sisi (2nd L) attend a news conference in Cairo, Egypt, December 11, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Egyptian media reports put the cost of the plant at around 30 billion US dollars.

The two countries signed two agreements in November 2015 for Russia to finance and build the power plant, with four 1,200 megawatt reactors, in Dabaa.

Putin also called for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume, including on Jerusalem. Speaking on state television during a visit to Egypt, Putin stressed the importance of "the immediate resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks over all disputed issues, including the status of Jerusalem."

He warned any steps that pre-empt a possible agreement between Israel and the Palestinians are counter-productive and destabilizing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses servicemen as he visits the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria, December 11, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Putin, who is due to fly to Turkey after Cairo, briefly visited a Russian base in Syria before arriving in Egypt and ordered Russian forces to start withdrawing from Syria after a two-year military campaign.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters