U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday made a phone call to Egypt's military leader Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, to praise the military's support for a fair presidential election in the Arab country, the Pentagon said.

"Secretary Panetta called Field Marshal Tantawi today to commend the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on their support for a secure, free and fair presidential election," said Pentagon spokesman George Little in a statement.

"Panetta and Tantawi emphasized the value of the enduring strategic relationship between the United States and Egypt, and noted Egypt's role as a pillar of regional peace and stability," the statement said.

Egypt's Higher Presidential Election Commission on Sunday announced Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohamed Morsi as the winner of the Egyptian presidential run-off held one year after the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak. Morsi narrowly defeated former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

Panetta already placed two phone calls to Tantawi ahead of the Egyptian election to express his desire for the Egyptian military to support a free and fair election, Little said on Monday, adding that the election was indeed free and fair.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday called Morsi to offer his congratulations, while expressing the desire "to advance the many shared interests between Egypt and the United States" on the basis of mutual respect.

The U.S. used to maintain a close relationship with Egypt, which plays a major role in the Mideast peace process, when Mubarak was president. Egypt is the first Arab country that signed a peace deal in 1979 with Israel, the key U.S. ally in the Middle East.