Trump and Sisi
Trump and SisiReuters

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Tuesday night discussed the stability of the Middle East during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency said, according to Reuters.

The two discussed Egypt’s efforts in fighting terrorism, and the importance of continuing coordination and cooperation with the United States to support these efforts, the spokesman added.

US-Egypt ties were strained under the Obama administration, which suspended American military aid to Egypt following the 2013 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

American law forbids sending aid to countries where a democratic government was deposed by a military coup, though Washington has never qualified Morsi’s ouster as a "coup" and had been cautious about doing so, choosing only to condemn the violence in the country.

Obama released the aid two years later.

Following the election of Trump, ties improved as Sisi praised Trump and said he expected greater engagement in the Middle East from his administration.

Despite the warming of ties, the US in 2017 decided to deny Egypt $95.7 million in aid and to delay a further $195 million due Egypt’s failure to make progress on respecting human rights and democratic norms.

In September, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo authorized the release of $1.2 billion in US military assistance to Egypt.