Relations between the United States and Egypt are in deep-seated turmoil which could hurt the entire Middle East, the Egyptian foreign minister said in remarks published on Wednesday.
Nabil Fahmy told the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper the extension of the period of instability in ties would “reflect negatively on the entire region, including American interests.”
“We are now in a delicate state reflecting the turmoil in the relationship and anyone who says otherwise is not speaking honestly,” he said.
Egypt criticized a US decision last week to curtail military and economic aid to Cairo after a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, although Washington stressed it was not severing ties with its long-standing ally.
US officials said the move reflected Washington’s unhappiness with Egypt’s path since the army overthrew freely-elected President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood on 3 July.
The army-backed interim government insisted Egypt would not bow to US pressure, saying it found the decision strange at a time when the country was “facing a war against terrorism.”
