President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met on Monday with a US business delegation on a visit to Cairo, seeking to assert the positive nature of US-Egypt trade relations and boost bilateral trade.
Sisi told the delegation, headed by the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State David Thorne, that Egyptian food and agricultural exports meet the standards set by US authorities, and that US exports are very popular in the US market.
His comments followed US media reports in recent months relating to allegations of poor quality Egyptian fruit on sale in the United States, as well as claims from Russia that Egyptian fruit exports did not always meet its hygiene standards.
In his presentation to the delegation, the Egyptian president likewise praised the US companies operating in Egypt, saying they enjoy a good reputation. He said that Egypt was looking for further US investment, as well as to increase bilateral trade, which would benefit both nations.
The delegation represents 50 major US companies in various fields, and they gathered in the presence of Egypt's ministers of foreign affairs, telecommunications, petroleum, trade, finance and investment, in addition to the US Ambassador to Cairo Stephen Beecroft.
The president reviewed the various national projects currently underway, with prominence given to the Suez Canal development project. He also highlighted the current economic reforms aimed at reducing government expenditure and raising taxes, all of which are aimed at improving the Egyptian economy while attracting more foreign investment.
The preliminary agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a proposed US$12 billion loan over a three-year period was also highlighted during the president's speech.
Sisi also stressed the need to boost communication with investors in order to resolve any issues they face in making investments or doing business in Egypt. He said meetings with US business representatives in the US last month were helpful in identifying areas of future cooperation.
Stategic ties between Egypt and the US are of the utmost importance, said the president, if the nations are to face up to the current array of issues in the international arena.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
