Days after suspending the financial and military aid to Egypt, American President Donald Trump said in a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi that the US is keen to overcome obstacles and to continue its cooperation with Egypt. The phone call between the two presidents, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, tackled asserting the friendship between the two countries. The statement didn't specify if the leaders discussed the latest US decision to cut aid to Egypt. The decision caused an uproar in Egyptian local and diplomatic circles; however, official meetings between American and Egyptian diplomats continued. Egypt said on Wednesday it regrets the US's withdrawal of military and financial aid. However, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Wednesday a US delegation led by US Senior Presidential Advisor Jared Kushner, US Special Assistant to President Trump Jason Greenblatt, and US Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy Dina Powell. The delegation is on a mission to mediate between conflicting sides in the Palestinian and Israeli sides, to resume negotiations. According to a statement by the ministry, Shoukry addressed "the elements and determinants that can be used in favor of urging the Israeli and Palestinian sides to resume negotiations." On Wednesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it regrets the aid cut, saying that it "will have negative results on Egyptian-American common interests." This comes after a Tuesday Reuters report citing two anonymous sources who said the US will "deny Egypt $95.7million in aid and delay a further $195 million because of its failure to make progress on respecting human rights and democratic norms." Egypt said that the measure reflects an imprecise understanding of the "strategic relations between the two countries." The statement, which was released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the decision to cut the aid shows that the measures lacked understanding of "the importance of Egypt's stability and the amount of security and economic challenges" the country is facing. Meanwhile, Kushner visited Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his tour, asserting to both sides that the US administration is keen to find a solution to the Middle East crisis.
