Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was the first world leader to call and congratulate Donald Trump as US President-elect on Wednesday, al-Sisi’s office said.
The Egyptian president, who held a friendly meeting with Trump during a visit to New York in September, said he hoped the business mogul’s election would breathe new life into US-Egyptian ties.
A statement by al-Sisi’s office said: “US President-elect Donald Trump appreciated the Egyptian president.
“al-Sisi’s call was the first international call Trump received to congratulate him on winning the election.
“Trump said he looked forward to meeting al-Sisi soon.”
Egypt receives military aid from the US worth $1.3 billion a year.
Unperturbed by Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, many Egyptians welcomed his victory, saying his opponent Hillary Clinton’s record in office had won her few friends in the most populous Arab country.
“We in Egypt love Trump not Hillary because she is an enemy of the Middle East and we were scared of her presence. Trump’s relationship with us is nice and we had hoped for him to win,” said 56-year-old Hani Nasr, an accountant.
Reuters/NAN.
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