(MENAFN) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was the first leader from the Arab world to congratulate Donald Trump on Wednesday and said he hoped the US president-elect would "pump new life" into Egyptian-American relations.

In detail, A statement from the Egyptian presidency emphasised the "special, strategic relationship" between Egypt and the United States that it said had lasted for decades.

"The Arab Republic of Egypt is looking to see Donald Trump's presidency pump new life into the course of Egyptian-American relations, and more cooperation and coordination that will benefit both the Egyptian and American peoples, and promote peace and stability and development in the Middle East region, especially in the face of the huge challenges that it faces," the statement read.

Trump met with Sisi in New York last September at the United Nations; the first time a Republican presidential candidate had met a leader from the Muslim world.