The United Arab Emirates agreed today to give Egypt's military-installed government another USD 3.9 billion in aid after transferring USD 1 billion in July, the official WAM news agency said.
The UAE and other Gulf monarchies were staunch supporters of the July 3 overthrow of Egypt's first Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, and have vowed to help the interim government address the economic devastation wrought by two years of political turmoil.
The two countries signed the latest agreement during a visit by Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi to the oil-rich Emirates, WAM reported.
It said USD 1 billion of the new funds would go to support Egypt's fuel needs while the remainder would be earmarked to "support (Egypt's) development programme and (are) aimed at improving the living conditions, lives and human development of the Egyptian people through a number of projects."
The Emirates, along with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, pledged USD 12 billion in aid to Cairo within days of the army's overthrow of Morsi, which came amid massive protests against the year-long rule of Egypt's first freely elected president.
Egypt's economy has been in a tailspin since the overthrow of longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, contributing to the political unrest that has gripped the country since his ouster.
