Mattis visits Cairo, discusses security with el-Sissi

As part of a tour of parts of the Middle East and northern Africa, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Defense Minister Sedki Sobhy in Cairo for a discussion covering security threats and opportunities for cooperation.

"We agreed on the need for a renewed and strong security partnership," Mattis said following the meeting. 

He said that he spoke with Sobhy about "efforts to counter terrorism and secure the borders in this very complex security environment."

Egypt has recently faced a number of terrorist attacks, including those targeting the Sinai region, military personnel and Christians in Coptic churches. El-Sissi visited the Pentagon earlier this month to discuss security issues, and Mattis characterized the Cairo meeting as a continuation of those talks. The leaders covered the security threats facing the country and spoke about means to increase bilateral security cooperation between Egypt and the United States.

"I left Cairo very confident in the avenues we have to advance our military-to-military relationship, which has been a bedrock and has stood solid all these years," Mattis said.

Mattis’ trip began in Saudi Arabia before progressing to Egypt and now Israel. He will also visit Qatar and Djibouti before returning to the US.