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US Congress delegation visiting Egypt meets Defense Minister and Pope Tawadros The delegation also inspected St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, the site of the deadly attack in December
Minister of Defense Sedki Sobhi held a meeting on Sunday with the US Congress delegation that is currently on an official visit to Egypt. The delegation, which is headed by senator Dana Rohrabacher, discussed developments in the Middle East and efforts exerted to fight terrorism. According to a statement by the official army spokesperson, Tamer El Refaay, on Facebook, the meeting also touched upon interests common to both Egypt and the US. "Defense minister Sedki Sobhi emphasised his pride of the strong relations that unite the two countries' armed forces, which have extended for decades and are present in the military partnership, cooperation, training, and work due to the confrontation of challenges that target the security and stability of the Middle East region," the statement read. On their return, the US Congress delegation expressed their pride in what is being achieved by the Egyptian armed forces in combating terrorism and extremism to achieve stability in the Middle East, asserting their country's interest in supporting partnerships in all fields. On Saturday, the US Congress delegation paid a visit to the Cairo-based Coptic Cathedral Church, where they met with Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria. They also inspected the St. Peter and St Paul's Church that witnessed a deadly attack in December 2016 and led to the death of 29 people, state-run media outlets reported. Also on Saturday, the delegation met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry. The meeting took place inside the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a state-run media outlet. The meeting discussed bilateral relations with the United States and ways to enhance cooperation between both countries. This is the second recent visit of a US Congress delegation to Egypt. Earlier in June 2016, a delegation from the US Congress arrived in Cairo to meet with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The delegation was also led by Dana Rohrabacher, who is the chairperson of the Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats subcommittee of the US House of Representatives. Several US Congress members have visited Egypt in 2016 and also met with President Al-Sisi and other senior officials.
