Egypt's FM praises strong relations between Egypt, US

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt has a strong relation with the United States and he looks forward to boost cooperation between the two countries in terms of regional and international issues.
 

This came in response to a question by the Middle East News Agency (MENA), asking about the bilateral relations between Egypt and the US under the new administration of US president Donald Trump, and the concerns on Trump’s statements in which he promised to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Shoukry added that Egypt had been communicating with the current US administration before its official inauguration, when Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Trump in September 2016 on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly that was held in New York. Shoukry also met with US vice president Mike Pence in December, saying that this asserts that the relations between Egypt and the US under the new administration will thrive.

The foreign minister concluded by saying that we should wait on the new administration until it announces its policies and the officials start working—that is when Egypt will start its bilateral talks with the US to tackle different regional and international issues.

Trump officially took office as president on 20 January; Al-Sisi congratulated him while he was still giving his inauguration speech. Al-Sisi was also the first president to congratulate Trump on 9 November 2016 when the latter won the US presidential elections.

Al-Sisi said that he hopes strategic relations between Egypt and the US will foster during the era of Trump. Egypt’s president also hoped that bilateral relations between Egypt and the US will thrive and Trump’s administration will be a new start for the two countries.

The relations between Egypt and the US are expected to thrive under Trump’s administration, as the latter shares a common vision regarding political Islam and terrorism with Al-Sisi.

The relations between Egypt and the US were tense over the past few years, particularly after the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi by the armed forces in 2013. Former US president Barack Obama depicted this enforced ouster as a military coup. The US cut aid as a result, but had to restore it in 2015 due to the rise of Islamic State (IS) threats.

Trump told Al-Sisi in September 2016 that he will invite him to the White House following his inauguration, during Al-Sisi’s participation in the United Nations general assembly.