Egypt told Russia that it’s ready to sign an aviation security protocol that should “theoretically” precede the resumption of air travel between Cairo and Moscow, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said yesterday, according to Sputnik. “We are preparing proposals for the resumption of flights, but only to Cairo so far. Regular or charter [flights] — it will depend on the interests of companies, both Russian and Egyptian,” the minister said. This comes one day after Sokolov said that further inspections for Cairo International Airport will not be necessary, confirming that the decision now rests on the Russian government. This coincided with news that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had sealed the final contracts on the Dabaa nuclear power plant.

The Bear giveth, and The Bear taketh away: Just as we are seeing potential progress on the resumption of flights (as opposed to faux progress we’ve been hearing for two years), Moscow has apparently postponed the signing of an agreement to establish an industrial zone in Port Said until early 2018, according to Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov. The agreement is being revised and amended, Manturov said, adding that he doesn’t expect the process to take too long. Sound familiar?