U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Wednesday in Cairo as part of his Middle East tour aimed at deepening cooperation with U.S. allies and reiterating Washington’s commitment to the security of that Region.
“The U.S.-Egypt defense partnership is an essential pillar of our commitment to this region. I am here to strengthen our coordination on key issues and seek opportunities to deepen our longstanding bilateral partnership with Egypt,” Austin said on his official Twitter account.
The Pentagon chief arrived in Cairo from Iraq, which he made a surprise visit Tuesday two weeks shy of the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion that toppled the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein.
Austin, the highest-ranking official in Joe Biden’s administration to visit Iraq, said in Baghdad that U.S. troops will remain in the Arab country at the request of the Iraqi government, where they will “provide support and advice” to Iraqi forces to “wipe out” the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
It is unknown whether the Pentagon chief will address with the Egyptian authorities issues related to the human rights situation in Egypt, where numerous organizations and activists denounce restrictions on freedoms and the detention of thousands of political activists and opponents since the arrival of Egyptian President Abdelfatah al Sisi to power in 2013.
Egypt, one of Washington’s main allies and a key mediator between Palestinians and Israelis, is the third stop on Austin’s tour, which began Sunday in Jordan and will also take him to Israel.
On this trip through the region, the US Defense Secretary also plans to address the escalating violence between Israel and Palestine, as well as the threats associated with Iran in the region.