US official: Egypt is Washington’s key non-NATO ally

An official source at the US State Department told Amwal Al Ghad on Thursday that the US relations with Egypt are strategic, pointing out that Egypt is “a US major non-NATO ally.”

The statements were made on the sidelines of the Door-Knocking delegation’s meetings in Washington, organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo.

The source stressed the keenness of the US administration to build strong relations with Cairo during the coming period, in light of the great role played by Egypt in various issues in the Middle East region.

Major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States government to close allies who have strategic working relationships with U.S. Armed Forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The MNNA State receives a variety of military and financial advantages which cannot be obtained by that otherwise are not obtainable by non-NATO countries.

Egypt is one of the recipients of US military and financial aid. Egypt receives about $1.5bn annually. This aid is used to upgrade the armament of the Egyptian army, as well as to implement some programmes that support the economy and society.

In addition to Egypt, the following countries were designated as major non-NATO allies: Australia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, New Zealand, Argentina, Bahrain, Philippines, Thailand, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tunisia.

Egypt has received this title since 1989 under the reign of former US President George HW Bush. The description of the US administration to Egypt has changed from the ally to partner during the past years and specifically since 2011, and the political transformations witnessed by Egypt during that period.