US Secretary of State John Kerry has said he hopes to meet with Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi soon.

In a short visit to Tunisia on Tuesday, Kerry praised the Tunisian people for the "courageous path" they were on, and pledged "the United States will continue to stand beside Tunisia throughout its democratic transition," AFP reported.

While he refused to say in public what Egypt's military-appointed leaders could learn from Tunisia, he did say the United States would be continuing those conversations in private in the "coming days and weeks."

Washington has been at odds with Egypt since the military's ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July of last year amid a wave of protests against him. The US has often criticised the policies of the interim authorities and suspended $1.3 billion of annual military aid.

A recent visit by El-Sisi and Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy to Russia and talks about a possible $2 billion arms deal was largely seen by analysts as Egypt seeking an alternative ally to balance power.