Egypt and the United States are working on removing any obstacles that may hinder the two countries' aspiration to push their strong relations toward new horizons as they prepare for the next round of strategic dialogue.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his US counterpart Anthony Blinken during his visit to New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting is the first since the US administration's decision last week to suspend $130 million in military aid to Egypt, pending human rights issues.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the meeting focused on the most important political, security, and economic aspects of bilateral relations within the framework of historical, and strong relations between the two countries.
The ministry added that this comes to achieve the common goals and interests of the two friendly countries and peoples.
Shoukry and Blinken agreed on the high-value of working on the excellent preparation for the next round of strategic dialogue between Egypt and the US.
Ambassador Ahmed Hafez, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that the meeting reflected the importance of coordination and consultation between Cairo and Washington during the coming period, to achieve common goals for the two friendly countries.
Egypt annually receives $1.3 billion in US military aid, and despite the conditions imposed on $300 million tranche of it, previous administrations overcame those conditions and allowed sending the aid.
Egypt annually receives $1.3 billion in US military aid, and despite the conditions imposed on the $300 million tranche of it, previous administrations overrode those conditions and allowed the aid to be sent.”
Blinken suspended part of the US aid allocated to Cairo, unlike his predecessors' policy of bypassing congressional scrutiny of military aid sent to Egypt, with the exception of the release of $300 million in foreign military funding, citing US national security interest.
A State Department spokesperson said that the two countries share a commitment to a solid and productive partnership and that the Biden administration supports "a strengthened partnership would be facilitated by steps from the Government of Egypt to improve its protection of human rights."
The spokesman said that the two officials discussed the high value both the United States and Egypt place on "strengthening and deepening our partnership that is responsive to the full range of issues in the bilateral relationship."
According to US sources, the Biden administration plans to release human rights-related aid, provided that Egypt drops trials and charges against human rights activists and organizations.
