(AFP File Photo/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI)
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry discussed with US Secretary of State John Kerry possible ways of collaboration on mutual issues of concern, in a phone call on Sunday night.
The two ministers discussed collaboration, especially in relation to the United Nations and its specialised agencies such as UNESCO.
They also discussed bilateral collaboration between both countries in other fields, as well as regional issues including Palestine, the situation in Libya, the Syrian conflict, and the situations in both Syria and Yemen.
Egyptian-US ties have been shaky for nearly two years since the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood regime. President Barrack Obama had imposed a ban on sending military aid to Egypt in the aftermath of Morsi’s ouster, a ban which was, however, lifted two weeks ago, on 31 March.
Following the mass sentencing of a group of defendants, including some Muslim Brotherhood leaders, to life in prison and others to death last Saturday, the US administration criticised Egypt’s Criminal Court’s life imprisonment sentence against Mohamed Soltan.
In doing so, the US administration also called on the Egyptian government to “redress” the verdict.
Egypt also refused to join the US-led military coalition formed in mid-September 2014, against the “Islamic State” divisions in Iraq and Syria, but opted to support it strategically.
