On Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi touched on human rights issues, the strategic partnership between the US and Egypt, and the latter’s important role in regional stability.

Blinken tweeted that he also discussed with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, the escalating consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US support for Egypt.

The US State Department stated Blinken’s visit, which indicated the importance of a shared commitment to human rights to strengthen the partnership between the two countries. It also said it aims to maintain an active dialogue that seeks to advance freedom of expression, end political detention, strengthen the rule of law, and undertake crucial judicial reforms, including reforms related to pretrial detention, in line with Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy. Last October, the US administration decided to withhold $130 million in military aid to Egypt due to the dire human rights situation in the country. However, Blinken said on a previous visit that Cairo had made some progress on political detentions and released hundreds of prisoners.