US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis has arrived in Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials and discuss cooperation before heading on to Jordan, Pakistan and Kuwait.
According to a statement by the Department of Defence, Mattis’ visit to Cairo on Saturday is part of a trip “to re-affirm the enduring US commitment to partnership in the Middle East, West Africa and South Asia.”
Mattis is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Defence Minister Sedki Sobhi.
Egypt is among the top recipients of US military assistance, receiving nearly $1.3b annually in addition to $250m in economic aid. That assistance is linked to Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel, and underpins a US-Egyptian security relationship that is now mostly aimed at fighting terrorism.
