Islam Osmanoglu - Cairo

Egyptian President Abdulfattah Al Sisi will meet with British Prime Minister Cameron, as well as make a series of discussions with parliamentarians, and various ministers.  His talks will be based on terrorism, economy, as well as a broad range of issues such as bilateral relations and regional issues.

During the first day of meetings, the UK made a surprise annoucement claiming that the Russian passenger plane downed in Sharm al Sheikh was a result of a bomb explosion. The announcement was met with surprise by the Egyptian government. Both the Egyptian Presidency  and Depatment for Foreign Affairs in two separate statement, expressed bewilderment in the face of this announcement.

Egypt's presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef also has said that authorities here wish U.S. and Britain had "waited for the result of the ongoing investigation."

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry expressed astonishment in the cancelling of the flights said: "Until a security expert from the UK and handles the necessary controls then the UK decision to cancel flights to Sharm El Sheikh from the UK and that to associate the crash of the Russian aircraft exploding as a result of a bomb is nothing short of astonishing."

Shoukry also emphasized that all efforts were made to ensure the utmost safetey of tourists visiting Egypt in the country and were dealing with the situation as sensitively as they could.
Sharm Al Sheikh is the Red Sea pearl of sun, sea and sand and is a well known tourism destination - the southern city which has ancient relics has a low number of visitors making it ideal for a getaway for many.

The announcement by the UK on the first day of Sisi's visit also drew attention from observers in particular as this is the first visit by an Egyptian President in 13 years, which also was delayed for a number of reasons for three months.

In other reports, the UK is also seeking to strengthen their military arsenal - in the past two years the Egypt government has made agreements with Gulf countries worth billions of dollars. Last February, both Egypt and France signed a € 5 billion agreement on the sale of 24 Rafale fighter jets. Sisi's visit to the UAE prior to his visit to the UK is also being considered in this context. The Gulf states consider a powerful Egyptian army as a backup for their own regional security.