Al Sissi to visit Trump on April 3

Washington: The White House announced Abdul Fattah Al Sissi will make an “official visit” to Washington on April 3, ending years in which the Egyptian president had been kept at arm’s length amid rights concerns.

“President Trump and President Al Sissi will use the visit to build on the positive momentum they have built for the United States-Egypt relationship,” the White House said in a statement Tuesday.

Al Sissi’s visit to Washington would be the first to the White House since the former army chief became president in 2014.

His relations with former president Barack Obama’s administration were strained by Al Sissi’s role in ousting then-president Mohammsd Mursi.

In response, the US had briefly suspended $1.3 billion (Dh4.77 billion) in military aid, which was fully reinstated in 2015.

From the outset, Trump has shown more willingness to engage the former general, despite repeated reports of human rights violations under his rule.

He met the Egyptian leader in September, and Al Sissi was reportedly the first to call Trump to offer his congratulations on his November election win.