Cairo, alBawaba - Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, has been in Washington meeting with Secretary of State Kerry and with key leaders on Capitol Hill, and last week with Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) met Shoukry and chief foreign affairs correspondent, Margaret Warner, had an interview with him. Warner started by mentioning that the first foreign leader to call American President-elect Donald Trump after his victory was Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Egyptian embassy in Washington just put out a statement thatEgypt is looking forward to better ties with the new administration. Shoukry said: We're certainly looking forward for consolidating and strengthening the U.S.-Egyptian relationship. It is always our objective to have close ties with the United States. We're at a transitional period of our history and we're on a road to reform. Warner asked about Egypt's expectations from the new administration. Shoukry said that according to what they heard from President-elect Trump, they look forward, from a clear vision related to the conditions and the challenges in the Middle East. "And there's a great deal of parallelity in that vision related to how we can eradicate terrorism, how we can regain stability in the region." Shouky added. He emphasized that "the issue that concerns us is certainly regaining stability, but issues of human rights are an integral part of our reform policies, of our new constitution". Shoukry mentioned that during his meeting with Pence he conveyed a message from President Sisi, and there was a general discussion related to conditions in the region and the importance of the strategic relationship that binds the United States and Egypt.
When asked about the news law that regulates NGOs work in Egypt, Shoukry said the the Egyptian parliament have its "own vision of what they considered in the best interests of the public" On the Syrian issue, Shoukry said: We have been cooperating with both the United States and Russia, have been actively supporting a greater understanding between them because of their ability to impact the situation. We believe that it is intolerable that the current level of violence and — that we continue after five years of a half-a-million loss of life, that we — that this situation should continue. Shoukry commented on Trump's promise to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying: We have always opposed any movement in that direction as contravening international law and legitimacy.
