CAIRO, April 18 (Itar-Tass) - Egypt awaits Russian tourists and guarantees complete safety to foreigners, President Mohamed Morsi said ahead of his first visit to Russia in an interview to Itar-Tass Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.
"Some three million Russians arrive in our country each year, and we're trying to double this figure, because the Russian tourist is precious to us," he noted adding that tourism was one of the fields in which Egypt wished to expand cooperation with Russia.
Speaking about the situation in the country in general, Mohamed Morsi said his country was safe for Russians and tourists from other countries. "We make great efforts in the sphere of security, ensuring the protection of places of interests. You moved around Cairo and saw no threats emanating from anyone. Some incidents happen, as they do in any other country. However, excessive attention is often paid to incidents."
Egypt and its historic monuments in Luxor, Aswan, Sinai, the Red Sea and Cairo are safe for tourists, according to Morsi.
"If we consider statistics, our country does not differ much from other states, and is even safer by certain indicators. If some incidents happen, we immediately react to them and provide assistance to the tourists who have found themselves in a predicament. Foreigner can freely move across the whole country even at nighttime, for example from Cairo to Aswan, and it's safe.
"We invite our friends from Russia to have their holiday here in Egypt," the head of state added.