Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry is set to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Cairo on Monday during Tillerson’s visit to the Middle East, state media said.
The two ministers will discuss the Egyptian-US partnership, and coordination on several international and regional issues.
Tillerson’s visit to the region will also includes stops in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Kuwait.
US officials said that during his visit, Tillerson will offer US assistance in countering extremism. He also will raise human rights and democracy issues, according to the New York Times.
The visit comes at a sensitive timing for Egypt, as the country is preparing for the upcoming presidential election as well as the launching of an extensive military operation in Sinai to eliminate militants from the restive peninsula.
The visit is the second of its kind for a senior US official to the region in less than a month.
Late in January, US Vice President Mike Pence and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi discussed bilateral relations between their two countries, in addition to regional issues.
During his short visit to the region, which included Egypt, Jordan, and Israel, Pence addressed the “shared need to combat terrorism and assist persecuted religious minorities,” according to a statement from the US Embassy in Egypt.
