Kerry visits Cairo for 'strategic dialogue'

US Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Egypt on Saturday to relaunch a strategic partnership with Washington's longtime ally, at the start of a regional mini-tour.

During his stop in Cairo, Kerry plans to meet with Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukri for a "strategic dialogue". The two countries have had a tumultuous relationship since Egypt's 2011 revolution.

In late March, the United States lifted its freeze on $1.3 bn annual military aid to Cairo. The dialogue between the two officials is the first since 2009, and comes in the wake of an announcement this week that Washington began the delivery of eight F-16 fighter jets to Egypt. 

In addition to military cooperation, Kerry and Shoukri plan on discussing Egypt's human rights record.

"We'll certainly be discussing the issue of the political environment, human rights issues while the Secretary is in Cairo. That is an important part of our regular dialogue," a US State Department official said.

He plans to visit Qatar the following Monday to meet his Arab counterparts in the Gulf hoping to appease their concerns over the Iran nuclear deal.

"This is an opportunity, really, for the secretary to do a deep dive with the GCC foreign ministers to try to respond to any remaining questions that they might have and hopefully to satisfy them and ensure that they're supporting our effort going forward," the State Department official said.

Many Gulf states have expressed concerns about Iran's ambitions in the region following the pact with the US and five other world powers - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. 

An official in Washington said Kerry and GCC foreign ministers will also discuss the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. On the sidelines of the GCC meetings, Kerry is set to meet Russian Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov on a number of issues, including the crisis in Syria.

Kerry's trip, which ends on 8 August, does not include Israel, one of Washington's closest allies and a fierce critic of the 14 July deal.