WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — An increasing cooperation between Russia and Egypt might undermine relations between Washington and Cairo, which contradicts US national security interests, US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said during a House hearing on Egypt.
“Recently, Egypt has taken moves that signal that it is willing to move away from the United States toward a closer relationship with Russia,” Ros-Lehtinen who chairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa Chair said on Wednesday.
The lawmaker noted that Russia has recently agreed to construct a nuclear energy facility in Egypt. She also claimed that Moscow and Cairo increased trade “dramatically” over the past year.
“We cannot afford to allow [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to undermine our ties with Egypt — it would be a serious blow to our national security interests,” Ros-Lehtinen stressed.
Ros-Lehtinen also said that the United States could contribute to the political process in Egypt after the recent instability in the country.
“President [Abdel Fattah] al-Sisi should seize this opportunity to move forward on long-needed democratic reforms, and the US can play an important role in that effort,” she said.
Earlier in May, al-Sisi said Cairo is interested in strengthening its relationship with Russia, and there are many areas where the two countries can cooperate, including the fight against terrorism.
Following the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Egypt in February 2015, the sides agreed to increase military, trade, security and economic cooperation.
Russia and Egypt have also agreed to develop cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. The two countries signed an agreement in February on the participation of Russian nuclear energy corporation Rosatom in construction of Egypt's first nuclear power plant.
In early March, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Moscow and Cairo agreed to conduct joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and anti-terrorism drills in 2015.
