Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri stressed the special nature of this year for the United States and Egypt, as it represents the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and the United States. He noted that Egypt is the largest trade and investment partner of the United States in Africa. He also underscored the importance of continued coordination and consultation between the two countries when addressing key regional and international files of common interest.
The foreign minister’s remarks came as he met with members of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
During the meeting, the foreign minister reviewed the government’s efforts to make Egypt a regional energy hub, especially as it played a major role in launching the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, and its capabilities that qualify it to liquify the region’s gas resources and export them to Europe.
This comes in addition to Egypt’s involvement In plans to develop power lines between its African brothers and European partners and its aspiration to attract more investments in the renewable and clean energy sectors such as solar energy, wind energy and green hydrogen, with the aim of increasing Egypt’s share of energy investments to 42% by 2035.
FM Shoukri was also keen during the meeting to review the Egyptian presidency’s vision for the 27th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) on ways to enhance international climate action.
He also stressed Egypt’s belief in the important role of the private sector in turning climate pledges into A tangible reality on the ground. Therefore, the Egyptian presidency of the conference seeks to enhance the level of dialogue and coordination with the private sector in order to include its visions in global efforts to confront climate change.
The BCIU is one of the most important US business councils in which major private sector companies and American businessmen are members.
