The American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham Egypt) heralded on Monday its annual door-knock mission to the U.S. to discuss bolstering bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The mission comprises of 35 top-level executives representing U.S. companies and businesses operating in Egypt. Over the course of five days, the delegates are scheduled to meet with members of the U.S. Congress, administration officials, think tanks representatives, media, and leaders from the U.S. business community.
This visit coincides with the 40th year anniversary of the inauguration of the U.S. Egypt Business Council, marking the beginning of a new phase in the bilateral partnership, the AmCham said in a release. It comes at a time when the U.S. Administration has recently reiterated its interest in building stronger partnerships in the Middle East, and “where Egypt is well positioned to maintain its leading role as a key alley and partner.” the release added.
During their meetings, delegates will promote dialogue on important commercial issues and share their perspective on topics of bilateral importance. They will highlight the impact of the economic reform measures on different sectors and the investment opportunities available for U.S. businesses in Egypt.
The mission includes Tarek Tawfik, president of AmCham Egypt, and Omar Mehanna, chairperson of the Egypt-US Business Council.
“This mission comes at a perfect time, given the current stability in relations between Egypt and the United States, which gives us a good chance to build new partnerships and call upon Americans to increase their investments in Egypt,” Tawfik said.
The mission will focus this year on the economic reform efforts exerted by the Egyptian government, in areas of the tax system and energy subsidies, Tawfik added.
It will also shed light on Egypt’s efforts in fighting terrorism and achieving security and stability as one of the most important requirements of investment in any country, he said.
For his part, Mehanna said that the mission plans to start new negotiations to reach a free trade agreement with the United States this year. “The U.S. does not mind holding bilateral agreements. It is not as complex as some would think,” he added.
