U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, right, meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy during the IISS 2013 conference at the Ritz Carlton on December 7, 2013 (Photo: AP)
During a meeting on Saturday, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel affirmed the US's support for the transitional roadmap and the establishment of democracy in Egypt, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy.
Fahmy met with Hagel on Saturday to discuss the future of US-Egyptian relations in light of Egypt's new internal political landscape. The meeting was held at the Manama Dialogue in the Bahraini capital, where Fahmy and Hagel discussed Iranian nuclear power, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and US-Egyptian diplomatic and economic relations.
"We agreed during our meeting on the importance of the diplomatic relationship between Egypt and the US, which we hope to evolve and improve," said Fahmy in a statement issued on his official Facebook page.
Fahmy states that Hagel expressed his hope that all of this would be achieved "with the least possible tension among different political currents."
In October, Washington suspended a large part of its $1.5 billion in annual aid to Egypt, insisting that the interim government must make progress towards restoring democracy in the Arab nation.
However, the US government said it would continue to provide support for counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation and security in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The US also promised to continue funding education, health, and private sector development in Egypt.
In a statement made in October, US Secretary of State John Kerry affirmed that the decision was never "a withdrawal from our relationship or a severing of our serious commitment to helping the [Egyptian] government." He also added that the US is committed to the success of the interim government and the continuation of democratic transition in Egypt.
The decision came as Egypt continued to carry out a harsh security crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members and leaders, which started following the bloody dispersal of pro-Morsi camps in Cairo and Giza in mid-August.
Egypt is the second-largest recipient of US aid after Israel.
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