Former foreign minister Mohamed el Araby hailed on Saturday President Abdel Fattah El Sisi as a 'man of state' over handling the UK's decision to halt aviation to Sharm el Sheikh.

The ex-top diplomat, who won a seat in the upcoming parliament on the For the Love of Egypt's list, made the remarks while speaking to parliamentary reporters.

The former minister accused the British media of fanning premature news without waiting for the results of the investigations.

The UK's reaction to the disaster did not reflect the long history of the British diplomacy, he said.

Also, he said it was better for the UK government to announce the suspension of its flights to Sharm el Sheikh after Sisi's departure.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond announced Wednesday evening that his country suspended all flights to Sharm el Sheikh following the Russian airplane crash in Sinai.

“We are now advising against all but essential travel by air to Sharm el Sheikh…As a result of that review we have concluded there is a significant possibility that crash was caused by an explosive device on board the aircraft,” Hammoned said in a statement.

Russian Kogalymavia’s A321 plane en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg crashed on October 31 around 30 minutes after takeoff in Egypt's North Sinai, 100 kilometers to the south of Al Arish.

The flight carried 217 passengers and seven crewmembers. Egyptian authorities said no one survived in the crash. Most passengers were Russian nationals. Among the people on board were also four Ukrainian citizens and one Belarusian national.

Source: MENA