Egypt marks 1st anniversary of Russian plane crash

The ministries of civil aviation, tourism and youth marked on Sunday the first anniversary of the crash of a Russian plane over Sinai.

A candlelit march ushered the event in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathi and South Sinai Governor Khalid Fouda.

A host of lawmakers, with representatives of Al-Azhar Imam and Pope Tawadros, along with the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus, were also present. 
Fouda, for his part, expressed condolences to the families of the doomed plane victims. 

He hoped that this tragic incident will not happen again, pointing out that Sharm El Sheikh will always receive tourists with love and peace. 

Member of Parliament Mahmoud el Sharif expressed condolences to the victims’ families, calling on all world countries to work as one against terror. 
Addressing the event, Russian Ambassador to Egypt Sergei Kirpichenko said he has confidence about the return of Russian tourism and the Russian aviation movement, which has been suspended since the crash, to Egypt.

Today commemorates a sad day and at the time shows solidarity feelings between the Egyptian and Russian peoples, Kirpichenko said.

Since the first moments of the tragic incident, Russia received condolences from all segments of the Egyptian people, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi had sent a letter of condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, he added.

The book of condolences that was opened at the Russian embassy at the time is full of sympathy notes, he noted.

Despite deep sadness, officials in Egypt and Russia had to draw lessons from the incident to prevent its recurrence in the future and the two sides’ keenness to fight all forms of terrorism and extremism had increased, he added.

For his part, member of the presidential advisory board Osama el Azhari said that moments of pain in the history of nations increase their persistence to keep going and making hope for the coming generations.

Azhari extended his condolences to the peoples of Russia and Belarus and to the victims’ families and friends. 
The delegate of Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria said that the Russian people love and appreciate Egypt and the Coptic Church, pointing out that the victims of the Russian plane are considered members of the Egyptian family. 

Egypt is the god's gift to the whole world, the church official said, welcoming all Russians to visit Egypt again. 

Civil Aviation Minister Sherif Fathi asked the Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian ambassadors to tell their peoples that Egypt and Sharm El Sheikh will never forget the plane’s victims. 

Addressing the whole world, all governments and all warring militias and soldiers, the minister said “Nothing is greater than human life, stop fighting”. 

Concluding the anniversary’s event, a group of Russian children living in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El Sheikh urged the whole world to visit Egypt and Sharm El Sheikh, asserting that they are living there in peace.

Source: MENA