Commanding general of the United States (US) Army Central Michael Garrett concluded his second visit to Egypt in 2016, the US embassy in Cairo said on Thursday.
Garrett met with senior Egyptian military officials to discuss the bilateral relation between both countries, joint efforts to fight terrorism, and shared interests in regional stability and security, according to the US embassy statement.
“Our partnership with the Egyptian military is incredibly important for the stability of the region,” Garret earlier said during the visit.
During his first visit to Egypt in January, Garrett had met with chief of staff Mahmoud Hegazy, discussing ways to increase military cooperation.
In mid May, the US delivered the first shipment of mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles to the Egyptian military via Alexandria port. The heavily armoured MRAP vehicles are specifically designed to protect soldiers from blasts from improvised explosive devices IEDs, landmines, and other types of attacks.
The US has provided over $40bn worth of defence aid to Egypt, second only to Israel over the course of the past 35 years. The aid was suspended temporarily following the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in 2013 and resumed in March 2015.
