Egypt’s intelligence hires PR firm in U.S. to lobby in Washington

CAIRO — Egyptian intelligence has hired a U.S. public relations firm to lobby on the country’s behalf in Washington and boost its image, the first such engagement by part of the country’s powerful security apparatus to be made public.

A filing dated Jan. 28 and seen by The Associated Press on the Department of Justice website Sunday showed that Egypt hired public relations firm Weber Shandwick and released details of the registration to comply with the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938.

The contract shows that Weber Shandwick will assist Egypt in promoting its “strategic partnership with the United States,” highlighting its economic development, showcasing its civil s o c i e t y a n d p u b l i c i z i n g Egypt’s “leading role in managing regional risks” in an agreement worth $1.2 million annually.

All points are issues President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s government is keen to portray in a positive light in its interactions with foreign powers, especially a key ally such as the United States that sends some $1.3 billion in annual military aid.

In other areas, Cairo has a more flexible approach to its image, for example overstating the number of refugees in the country tenfold in efforts to convince Europeans to send it more development aid to prevent illegal immigration. It also switches bet ween downplaying an extremist insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula, or amplifying the danger, depending on which position is most useful at a given moment with domestic or foreign audiences.