Pentagon Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis met President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt at the Pentagon today. Secretary Mattis recognized Egypt’s importance to the stability of the Middle East, as well as Egypt’s ongoing fight to counter terrorism and protect Egypt’s borders.

The two leaders discussed a range of Middle East security issues and expressed their desire to cooperate on counterterrorism and regional challenges. They recognized defense cooperation as the backbone of the U.S.-Egyptian bilateral relationship and expressed a mutual desire to deepen their countries’ defense partnership moving forward.

Secretary Mattis looks forward to visiting Cairo in the near future.