Foreign Ministry warns Russians against visiting Egypt
The Russian Foreign Ministry urged Russians on Monday to refrain from traveling to Egypt and advised those staying in the riot-hit Arab country to return home.
Egypt has been engulfed in violent protests since January 25 against President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year regime, with demonstrators demanding economic and political reforms. Some 150 people have been killed and another 4,000 have been injured, the Al-Jazeera TV channel said.
Alexander Lukashevich, the Foreign Ministry’s official spokesman, said Russians who decide to stay in Egypt should be very careful, “avoid attending gatherings of protesters and take into account the aggravation of the criminal situation in Egypt.”
According to the Russian state tourism agency, some 40,000 Russians are currently on vacation at Egyptian resorts.
Sergei Korneyev, a deputy head of the Russian Union of Tourist Industry, said earlier on Monday that only several tourists wanted to leave Egypt, which remains the most popular winter destination for Russians.
Russian Ambassador to Egypt Mikhail Bogdanov said evacuation of Russian tourists from Egypt was not necessary.
Meanwhile many countries began evacuating their tourists from Egypt, including Ukraine, Britain, Germany and Greece.
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