CAIRO, Feb 7 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's foreign minister will start a visit to Washington on Sunday where he is set to meet with his American counterpart, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman said.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri's three-day visit targets bolstering bilateral ties and will include important meetings, Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid added in a statement.

Shukri is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, as well as Congress members and the heads of intelligence and military service committees.

Egypt's relations with the U.S. turned tense when the U.S. partially halted its military aid to the Middle Eastern country following the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, after mass protests against his rule. Military aid has nevertheless eventually resumed. 

The U.S. currently provides Egypt with $1.3 billion to support Egypt's "security and military efforts to confront terrorism."

In July 2015, the U.S. handed Egypt eight advanced fighter jets and five tank turrets to be used for American-Egyptian tank production inside a tank plant in Egypt.

Shortly after the delivery, Kerry visited Egypt and he and Shukri decided to reach new ideas to set the tone for bi-lateral ties, especially on the military level. 

At the time the top American diplomat told a press conference that his country supports Egypt's fight against "terrorism" but said there must be trust between the government and the people, adding that without this trust, there will be more violence.