ST. PETERSBURG, July 27. /TASS/. Moscow expects the launch of Russia’s industrial zone near the Suez Canal in Egypt in the near future, President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the Russia-Africa economic and humanitarian forum.
"In Egypt, we spoke about it yesterday with my colleague, President [Abdel Fattah] El-Sisi, we are discussing it and, hopefully, we will launch the creation of the Russian industrial zone near the Suez Canal in the near future. I expect the construction of first production capacities as early as this year, whereas in the future goods produced there will be exported across Africa," he said.
The deepening of industrial cooperation between Russia and Africa is becoming particularly important now, Putin noted. "Our industrial products, including cars, construction equipment and so on, are widely acknowledged on the continent and enjoy strong demand. They are notable for high quality, reliability and ease of operation," he explained.