Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump are set to discuss defeating the Islamic State group during a Washington meeting on 3 April, the White House announced on Tuesday.

 

In an official press release, the White House said the two leaders “will discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, including how to defeat ISIS and pursue peace and stability in the region.

 

“President Trump and President El-Sisi will use the visit to build on the positive momentum they have built for the United States-Egypt relationship,” the statement read.

 

The Egyptian President is among the first Arab leaders to be received by American counterpart Trump since his inauguration last January.

 

El-Sisi was the first Arab leader to congratulate Trump on the phone after he was elected on 9 November, inviting him to visit Cairo.

 

Last January, Trump stressed during a phone call with El-Sisi that his administration is committed to maintaining annual US military aid to Egypt. During the call, Trump praised El-Sisi's efforts in the war against terrorism and extremism.

 

Rhetoric from both sides since Trump's election late last year has been warm, in contrast with relations under the administration of Barack Obama, which grew strained after the ouster of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

 

Shortly after Morsi's ouster, which the Obama administration described as a military coup, Washington temporarily suspended its annual $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt. However, aid was resumed in 2015.