Egypt president Sisi meets with US congressman on bilateral ties

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi met Sunday with U.S. Congressman Darrel Issa in Cairo, where they discussed regional developments and security issues including regional "terrorist threats," the official MENA news agency reported.
"Egypt is U.S. strategic ally and can contribute to efforts to contain terrorist threat in the region," the Republican congressman from California said during a press conference held at al-Ethadya Palace in Cairo.
He also assured President Sisi he would be welcomed by the U.S. administration if he decides to visit the country.
The congressman said that the United States had already allocated 500 million U.S. dollars in assistance to Egypt and that one billion dollars will be allocated for the next fiscal year, signaling strong ties still bind the two countries despite a strain in relations last year after Mohammed Morsi was ousted in July 2013 amid massive protests.
Issa added that military cooperation between the two countries is set to grow in the future through a number of joint projects, including an M1A1 tanks assembly in Egypt.
Other issues like the Syrian crisis, instability in Sinai and weapons smuggling from Libya were also discussed.
The congressman emphasized that Washington was not worried about Sisi's recent visit to Russia. "Egypt is an important country for regional security and it is normal that Russia wants to have relations with Egypt," Issa told reporters at the press conference.
The meeting also touched upon economic cooperation between the two countries and the Suez Canal development project.
U.S.-Egypt relations have been strained after the military ousted Morsi last year. The Obama administration suspended partly a 1.5-billion-dollar annual assistance to Egypt in response.
However, in April, the Obama administration announced that it would resume the delivery of 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt, saying the country qualified for some military assistance to counter terrorism in the region.