Kerry arrives in Cairo for strategic dialogue - state agency

Saturday 01-08-2015 05:50 PM
Kerry arrives in Cairo for strategic dialogue - state agency

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri shake hands before a meeting at a hotel in Cairo June 22, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool

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CAIRO, Aug 1 (Aswat Masriya) - The United States secretary of state John Kerry arrived in Cairo on Saturday afternoon, where he is co-chairing the U.S.-Egypt strategic dialogue with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri, reported the state news agency MENA.

The strategic dialogue, scheduled for Sunday, "reaffirms the United States' longstanding and enduring partnership with Egypt," according to a statement by the U.S. State Department issued last week.

The dialogue would also be a chance for discussing "a broad range of political, economic, security, and cultural issues to address issues of importance to each side and further our common values, goals, and interests," the statement read.

Kerry is also scheduled to hold a press conference with Shukri during his two-day visit to Egypt.

The visit is part of a tour the U.S. secretary of state is conducting in the Middle East and South Asia regions. He will head to the Qatari capital on Monday, to meet with foreign ministers of the member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

His tour also includes Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Egypt's relations with the U.S. turned tense when the U.S. temporarily halted its military aid to the Middle Eastern country following the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, after mass protests against his rule. 

Military aid has nevertheless eventually resumed. 

The U.S. delivered eight advanced fighter jets to Egypt on Thursday and Friday and vowed to deliver four more F-16 this autumn.

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