Richard Hayden Black, a Republican member of the Virginia State Senate, affirmed that the 30 June 2013 revolution in Egypt cannot be referred to as a “coup,” as 30 million protesters took to the streets against former president Mohamed Morsi, sending a clear message that it was time for him to leave.

Black’s remarks came during a discussion session held by the Pulse of America Foundation for Public Relations and Media Production in the US Congress to discuss Egyptian-American relations.

The session was moderated by Michael Morgan, a political researcher at the London Center for Policy Research (LCPR) in Washington.

In his comments during the session, Black described Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi as one of the most important leaders in the region.

He said that Egyptian political will and leadership is against any kind of discrimination between Muslims and Christians and is keen on equality among all Egyptian citizens, despite some sectarian confrontations.

Morgan said that the “United We Stand" series of conferences began in 2014 to develop the common goals of the war against terrorism and strengthening Egyptian-American relations, which went into a state of stagnation under the administration of former US president Barack Obama.

Morgan referred to the conference’s demands that the US designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, during their meeting with the office of senator Ted Cruz.

Morgan also noted the remarkable development in Egyptian-American relations under the “United We Stand” conference, to reach the level of strategic planning between both countries.

Eli Gold, senior vice president of LCPR praised Egyptian efforts to maintain stability and peace in the region, in his comments during the session.

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