U.S. notified Egypt of aid cut after decision taken: Cairo

CAIRO – 27 August 2017: Egypt was notified of U.S. decision of reducing the aid to Cairo after the decision was issued, stated Egyptian spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Alaa Abou Zeid in a statement on Sunday.

“U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson phoned his Egyptian counterpart, who was in Vilnius International Airport on his way back to Cairo after ending his visit to Lithuania, on August 22 notifying him about the decision,” Abu Zaid said.

The spokesperson added that the phone call was made after the decision was issued and a few hours before announcing it. Abu Zaid’s statement came in response to some media reports saying that Cairo was notified about the decision before issuing it.

Earlier this week, the U.S. has decided to cut nearly $100 million from military and economic aid to Egypt and delayed almost $200 million more in military financing.

“Washington has given Cairo nearly $80 billion in military and economic assistance over the past 30 years and will continue to support Egypt in defeating extremists, fighting terrorism and bolstering its economy,” CNN quoted a U.S. administration official.

The move came as a surprise to many political experts and observers, given the strategic ties between Egypt and U.S.; Trump has repeatedly hailed the Egyptian leader as a key ally in the fight against terrorism.

However, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received a phone call late on Thursday from U.S. President Donald Trump who expressed his keenness to develop the relationship between their countries, and overcome any obstacles that might affect it, said Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson Alaa Youssef in a statement.