MOSCOW, November 5 /TASS/. The foreign ministers of Russia and Egypt, Sergey Lavrov and Sameh Shoukry, said on Thursday that attempts to draw early conclusions about the Airbus A321 crash in Egypt before the official investigation was over were counterproductive, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after a telephone conversation (between the two foreign ministers) that took place at the Egyptian side’s request.
Shoukry briefed Lavrov on the course of investigation into the Russian plane’s crash.
"He re-emphasized that the Egyptian authorities continued rendering necessary support to the Russian rescuers and experts in full measure. Both sides agreed that it was counterproductive to try to draw any conclusions without waiting for results of the investigation, which competent experts were conducting at the crash site," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The A321 plane belonging to Russia’s air company Kogalymavia was flying from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg in Russia (flight KGL 9268) when it crashed over the Sinai Peninsula early on October 31. The plane fell near El Hasna populated locality 100 km to the south of Al-Arish, the administrative center of the North Sinai Governorate (province). All the 224 people onboard, including 217 passengers and the 7-member crew, died. The passengers, most of whom were Russians, also included four Ukrainians and one citizen of Belarus.