Cairo, Feb 10 : Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Tuesday that Russia had agreed to jointly build his country's first nuclear power plant.
A memorandum of understanding was signed Tuesday in the presence of Sisi and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At a joint press conference with Putin, Sisi said the nuclear power plant would be built in Dabaa in northwest Egypt on the Mediterranean coast.
Egypt had laid the foundation for such a facility in Dabaa during the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, but work was halted due to disputes with local residents.
Earlier report says, Russia's President Vladimir Putin held talks with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo on Tuesday, as Moscow seeks to boost ties with a key Arab country whose alliance with Washington has frayed.
Putin is a key non-Arab backer of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has faced US criticism for his deadly crackdown on opponents since he ousted Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.     ?AFP