Sisi, Putin to Virtually Participate in Laying Foundation of Power Unit at Egypt Nuclear Plant 

Russian President Vladimir Putin leads a cabinet meeting via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin leads a cabinet meeting via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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Sisi, Putin to Virtually Participate in Laying Foundation of Power Unit at Egypt Nuclear Plant 

Russian President Vladimir Putin leads a cabinet meeting via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin leads a cabinet meeting via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

The Egyptian Presidency clarified on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will take part, via videoconference, on Tuesday in the official ceremony for laying the foundation for a fourth reactor at Egypt’s El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant.

“Sisi and Putin will participate in a virtual meeting using video conferencing to inaugurate the fourth reactor at the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant that Russia is building in Egypt,” spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency Ahmed Fahmy told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The clarification came after the Kremlin announced last week that Putin will be participating in a significant event in Cairo, without mentioning the video call, leading to reports in the Egyptian and Arab media that the Russian president would be traveling to Egypt.

Fahmy said the ceremony will witness the pouring of the first concrete into the foundation of the fourth power unit at El-Dabaa to prepare for the major construction of the plant, according to a timeframe set since the launch of the project and which is expected to enter full operation in 2028.

“Putin was not scheduled to visit Egypt as reported,” the spokesperson explained, noting that the statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was misunderstood because it said the two presidents will attend the ceremony without saying via videoconference.

Last week, Peskov told reporters that Putin's participation at the event in Egypt “is being worked out, it is a very important ceremony.”

He said: “Our cooperation with Egyptian partners in various fields continues,” reported RT Arabia.

Fahmy emphasized the importance of Egypt's nuclear project, saying: “Egypt is moving towards a future based entirely on clean energy and sustainable solutions, and would gradually abandon the use of fossil fuels that caused the climate change crisis.”

He said the El-Dabaa project will not only provide clean energy, but will also demonstrate the close cooperation between Egypt and Russia.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.