Egypt and the US announce a new Joint Economic Commission during Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Cairo in January
The US and Egypt established diplomatic connections in 1922 and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the start of a second century of cooperation with a two-day visit to Cairo, where he held meetings with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisiand Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
“This is a vital partnership for us. Egypt has been and remains a force for peace, stability and security,” affirmed Blinken; “Our countries, both of us, value the strategic partnership between us, and how important it is to the region and, indeed, to the entire world. Both the US and Egypt are firmly committed to deepening that bilateral relationship.” El-Sisi also stressed the significance of the relationship and his desire for enhanced coordination in a number of areas.
The meetings “reflected the broad convergence of our strategic interests, showed our matching visions towards several issues and also showed the great potential fordeveloping our strategic partnership in many fields,” Shoukry revealed; “The stability of Egypt and its strength contribute to realizing the mutual interests of both countries and reaping benefits for both sides.”
Among the bilateral, regional and global topics under discussion was the countries’ eagerness to boost economic and commercial ties. Blinken noted that the US had announced its support of a $600-million project to build an undersea telecommunications cable connecting Singapore to France through Egypt and the Horn of Africa in 2022, and that a US trade mission had recently visited the African country to help ensure American firms competed in its renewable energy market. “Egypt has some of the best solar and wind energy potential in the world,” he stated.
To build more connections across a wide variety of sectors, Blinken and Shoukryconfirmed that a US-Egypt Joint Economic Commission would be convened this year. “The goal in all of this, as we discussed today, including with the President, is to produce concrete results, to produce real, new opportunities for people — jobs,livelihoods, a better future. That’s the common objective,” said Blinken.
During his visit, the Secretary of State found time to talk to students and entrepreneurs at an event held at the American University in Cairo. Afterwards, he made clear that, while the US was proud of its history with Egypt, it was their shared future that his administration was focused on: “I got a chance to meet with some young Egyptian leaders who are shaping that future in virtually every arena, from journalism to business, from medicine to high technology. And seeing their dynamism, their energy, their vision gives me great confidence that the future of Egypt and the future of our relationship is bright, is strong and will carry us forward.”