Egypt wishes to deepen its friendship with the United States, but only “on the basis of mutual respect and understanding,” Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated at the outset of the first Egypt-U.S. Strategic Dialogue held since 2015, which convened at the State Department yesterday.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken had welcomed Shoukry and his delegation by outlining the Biden administration’s four priorities for U.S.-Egypt relations, in which economic cooperation comes last, after regional security, COVID, “the climate crisis,” and human rights. The latter is where relations get nasty. Last September, the Biden administration withheld $130 million worth of military aid from Egypt, on charges that President al-Sisi’s government violates human rights. Secretary of State Tony Blinken reported that he had told Shourky in their bilateral meeting prior to the Dialogue, that any strengthening of relations with the U.S. remains hostage to Egypt agreeing to U.S. “human rights” demands.
Shoukry answered firmly: “We recognize that domestically, we continue to face numerous challenges that are typical of post-revolutionary societies. These are challenges that we acknowledge and are actively addressing without either downplaying their importance or blowing them out of proportion…. It is our conviction in Egypt that orderly change offers us the best chance to succeed so that society moves forward. We also believe that human rights are an interdependent whole, which necessitates that we dedicate equal attention to political rights and civil liberties and economic and social rights. This is an evolutionary process unique to each country, one that reflects and takes into consideration its social specificities, developmental realities, religious background, and cultural characteristics.”
