Pentagon Spokesman Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis met President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt in Cairo today. Secretary Mattis offered condolences for the recent terrorist attack on a mosque in Bir al Abed, Egypt. Secretary Mattis recognized Egypt as a strategic defense partner for the United States, 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.