A new Russian consulate officially opened its doors in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Hurghada on Sunday.

The Russian consulate, which was established by a governmental decree issued in November 2015, is the third in Egypt, joining two others located in Cairo and Alexandria.

The attendees at the opening ceremony included the Governor of the Red Sea General Ahmed Abdallah, the Russian Consul Gameshed Politiv, a number of Russian investors and members of the Russian community in Hurghada.

The consulate has already been providing consultations to Russians on citizenship matters, notary certification, legalisation and other issues, according to a statement made by foreign ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova on 19 January.

The consulate is now ready to provide all consular services and will be attending to more than 20,000 Russian civilians who live permanently in Hurghada.

“I am very optimistic about the return of Russian tourism within a month as all tourist facilities are ready to serve our tourists,” stated Ambassador Sergey Kirpichenko at the opening ceremony.

This statement comes after Russian security delegations carried out last week a five-day inspection of Hurghada airport.

The opening of the consulate is a positive step towards the recovery of a tourist industry that has been hit hard since the deadly crash of a Russian plane in Sinai in October 2015 and the suspension of all Russian flights to Egyptian airports.

Hurghada has long been a popular tourist destination for Russians.