It was reported that ending the use of the dollar in bilateral trade may have been on the table. The visit was the latest sign of a burgeoning relationship not just between the two countries, but between the two presidents, who both have a military background and share an uncompromising, strongman style of governance. This month, Egypt said it would sign a contract to receive 35 shipments of Russian liquefied natural gas until Bilateral trade reportedly increased by almost 50 percent in compared with the previous year.
In August, Putin promised to speed up delivery of billions of dollars in arms, and invited Cairo to forge free-trade ties with a Moscow-led customs bloc. The process actually began during the revolution that toppled the widely reviled US ally Hosni Mubarak in February , with Washington being accused of silence and sitting on the fence, and thereafter meddling in Egyptian affairs.
Washington responded to the killing of protesters by suspending military aid to Cairo. If the US would not provide weapons unconditionally, Cairo would get them from Russia, Washington's long-time competitor for influence in the Middle East. Defiance against Washington has played well domestically amid opinion polls showing widespread negative views among Egyptians towards the US.
Furthermore, Russian sales come with no strings attached. Such criticisms are likely to fall on deaf ears as the US and Russia vie for military, commercial and political influence in Egypt, while Gulf states provide a reliable safety net. The combination of iron-fisted rule and a reliance on outside powers gave birth to the Arab Spring. It is ironic, then, that Sisi owes his position to the very revolution whose goals he is betraying.
Sharif Nashashibi is an award-winning journalist and analyst on Arab affairs. Sharif Nashashibi. Published On 12 Feb 12 Feb Strained relations This month, Egypt said it would sign a contract to receive 35 shipments of Russian liquefied natural gas until Sponsored Content.
