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Egypt’s president calls not to jump to conclusions about causes of Russian plane crash

"I am telling the whole world: Egypt is secure and stable," al-Sisi said adding that all who were arriving in the country or were leaving it could feel safe

CAIRO, November 11. /TASS/. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has called not to leap to conclusions as to why the Russian A321 plane came down over the Sinai Peninsula, he said in Sharm El Sheikh on Wednesday.

The Egyptian president arrived in the resort city on a surprise inspection trip as a stopover on the way from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where he had attended the two-day ASPA summit of Arab and South American countries, to Cairo.

"We would prefer not to leap to conclusions investigating the causes of the Russian airliner crash," he told reporters upon arrival. "Egypt is not planning to conceal anything as we talk about human lives."

"I am telling the whole world: Egypt is secure and stable," al-Sisi said adding that all who were arriving in the country or were leaving it could feel safe.

"We will exert maximum efforts to guarantee that," he said.

Besides, the Egyptian president discussed current security measures in Sharm El Sheikh airport’s with its management and staff members.

On November 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with recommendations of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee to suspend air service with Egypt until the causes of the A321 plane crash were identified. According to presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, flights to Egypt will be suspended until proper level of security is ensured. Putin also issued instructions to help Russians vacationing in Egypt return home. Peskov noted however that the suspension of flights did not mean that a terrorist attack was considered as a key theory of the Russian plane crash in northern Sinai.

On October 31, Kogalymavia airline’s Flight 9268 carrying Russian tourists home from the resort city of Sharm El Sheikh went down about 20 minutes after take-off. The Airbus A321 plane crashed in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, some 100 kilometers south of the city of El-Arish.

There were 217 passengers and seven crew members on board, no-one survived. Most of them were Russian nationals. Also, four Ukrainians and one Belarusian were on board.