Washington will support Egypt in the fight against Islamist militants, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson noted as he began a Middle East tour, Reuters reported.

Tillerson also stressed the need for free and fair elections ahead of presidential voe in Egypt. 

“We agreed we would continue our close cooperation on counter-terrorism measures,” Tillerson said following the talks with Egyptian counterpart  Sameh Shoukry.

According to him, the Egyptian people should be sure that the US will continue to support Egypt in its fight against terrorism and ensure the security of the Egyptian people.

Shoukry said Egypt stressed the need for a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We discussed how to reach a solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of a two-state solution and the importance of maintaining U.S. efforts to reach this final settlement,” Shoukry said.

Tillerson said Washington remained committed to working for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, adding that Trump’s decision on Jerusalem in December did not set final boundaries for the city and that Washington believes it has an “important role to play to bring a resolution” to the crisis.