The chairman of the Egyptian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Karim Darwish, has said the election of Joe Biden as the new president of the United States should be welcomed by all in Egypt.

"Let's first congratulate the American people for electing a new president and opening a new chapter in the history of the United States," said Darwish. 

Darwish, in a statement issued Sunday, stressed that Egypt and America have strategic relations at all levels and that these relations should not change when a new US administration takes office. 

Darwish's statement comes while speculation is rife in Egyptian parliamentary and political circles over whether US President-elect Joe Biden will restore Obama-era policies in the area of supporting Islamist movements, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, and exerting pressure on the human rights file. 

Many also see that Donald Trump's anti-Muslim Brotherhood policies have done a lot of good for Egypt, and that reversing these policies under Biden could do a lot of harm to relations between the two countries. 

Dawrish said Egypt has always been keen to maintain strategic relations with the US. "And in order for these relations to continue under the new administration, they should be based on mutual respect, achieving the interests of the two countries and refraining from interfering into the internal affairs of each country," said Darwish, adding that “The strength and tempo of these relations will also depend on several factors such as building constructive cooperation in political and economic fields and respecting the sovereignty and the interests of each country.” 

Darwish argued that “The more we get together without interfering in each other's affairs, the more the relations get stronger, while the more we differ on certain files, the more we will keep away from each other." 

Darwish said Egypt's foreign policies generally seek to keep open and balanced relations with all international powers, including the United States. 

"And so I think that politicians and parliamentarians in Egypt and America should do their best to maintain common ground and shared visions in order to push our long-term relations forward," said Darwish.