Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Egypt and Russia have signed a nuclear cooperation agreement.

Officials said the agreement, signed during the visit by President Vladimir Putin, would pave the way for Moscow to construct the first nuclear energy reactor outside the Egyptian coastal town of Daba. They said Putin agreed that Russia would fast-track any nuclear program for the Arab ally.

“We see in Russia a strategic friend and a real asset to balanced foreign relations for Egypt,” Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Sisi said.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on Feb. 10 toward the end of Putin’s two-day visit to Egypt, the first since 2005. Officials said Russia’s state-owned Rosatom was prepared to begin construction of Daba within months of a formal contract, Middle East Newsline reported. Cairo has been stymied in advancing the Daba project since the 1980s by a budget shortfall and technical shortcomings.

Putin and Sisi were also said to have reviewed Russian offers of combat platforms to the Egyptian military. The two men have been negotiating a $3 billion deal that included Russia’s MiG-29 fighter-jet.

“The cooperation never ended and never will end,” Sisi said.

For his part, Putin said Rosatom would be responsible for all aspects of the Daba project. He said Rosatom would determine the requirements of the nuclear reactor, but did not cite the cost of the project.

Rosatom director Sergei Kirienko said the Daba project could consist of four reactors, each one with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. Kirienko said Moscow finance the project, meant to include advanced safety features as well as training.

“We are talking about building a Russian technology-based nuclear power plant out of four 1,200-megawatt units [each],” Kirienko said. “This comprehensive cooperation is expected to provide financial support in the form of an interstate credit.”

  Egypt’s Sisi signs agreement with Putin for 4 reactors, WorldTribune.com