This week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Washington, D.C. for a two-day visit where he met with high-ranking U.S. government figures including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Foreign Minister Shoukry also appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe where he discussed the strategic partnership between Egypt and the U.S., Egypt’s leadership role in working to resolve regional challenges, and Egypt’s ongoing political and economic reform efforts.

Read more about Foreign Minister Shoukry’s visit to Washington and the strong Egypt-U.S. partnership in this week’s email, including:

1. Foreign Minister Shoukry and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Discuss Egypt-U.S. Partnership
2. Foreign Minister Shoukry Meets With U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton
3. Foreign Minister Shoukry Meets With American Business Leaders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
4. Foreign Minister Shoukry Meets U.S. Middle East Envoy Greenblatt
5. Foreign Minister Shoukry Discusses Egypt-U.S. Partnership on MSNBC’s Morning Joe

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FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY AND U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO DISCUSS EGYPT-U.S. PARTNERSHIP
On Wednesday, 8 August, Foreign Minister Shoukry met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, D.C to discuss the strong Egypt-U.S. partnership. According to a release posted on Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) website, talks between Minister Shoukry and Secretary Pompeo “reflected the two countries’ desire to give a push to bilateral relations in the coming period through intensifying visits between the two countries’ officials and holding a new round of strategic dialogue and the 2+2 dialogue meetings between ministers of foreign affairs and defense of the two countries.” Additionally, Minister Shoukry briefed Secretary Pompeo “on the latest political and economic developments in Egypt and efforts exerted by the Egyptian government to improve the economic and social situation in the country.” On 9 August, POLITICO Playbook published a photo from the meeting as its photo of the day.

FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY MEETS WITH U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON
On Tuesday, 7 August, Foreign Minister Shoukry met with U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton at the White House. The meeting was their first since Ambassador Bolton became National Security Advisor earlier this year. In the meeting, Minister Shoukry “said he is looking forward to working with Bolton to boost Cairo-Washington relations in a way that reflects how special and strategic they are.” According to Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), Minister Shoukry also briefed Ambassador Bolton on “Egypt’s counter-terrorism efforts, particularly the successes achieved by the Sinai 2018 military operation.” Additionally, both sides “affirmed their mutual eagerness to boost bilateral cooperation…as well as the need to continue their coordination and consultation.”

FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY MEETS WITH AMERICAN BUSINESS LEADERS AT THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
On Tuesday, 7 August, Foreign Minister Shoukry met with American business leaders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, Minister Shoukry highlighted Egypt’s economic progress and “pointed out that the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States entails boosting cooperation between the two sides in the various economy sectors.” Abu Zeid also said Minister Shoukry told participants that Egypt’s “reform measures are bearing fruit, as the country’s economic growth rate has increased, the unemployment rate has fallen, and foreign exchange reserves have increased,” and that Egypt’s new investment law “creates a favorable environment for investment in Egypt.” Meeting participants included “managers and representatives of the major American companies investing or wishing to invest in Egypt, such as Apache Corporation, Exxon Mobil, Honeywell, MetLife, Cargill, [and] Lockheed Martin.” Earlier this month, Minister of Trade and Industry Amr Nassar announced that a delegation of representatives from 60 major U.S. companies will visit Egypt later this year to explore investment opportunities throughout Egypt.

FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY MEETS WITH U.S. MIDDLE EAST ENVOY GREENBLATT
On Tuesday, 7 August, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C. The meeting “addressed the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian Territories and means to advance the peace process.” During the meeting, Foreign Minister Shoukry “emphasized the need for a clear political prospect to achieving peaceful resolution, which would reinforce the probability of resuming negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.” Additionally, Mr. Greenblatt “expressed the U.S. Administration’s immense appreciation for the efforts exerted by Egypt to achieve Palestinian reconciliation, which he considers an essential and critical step to address the situation in Gaza and an integral part of any comprehensive plan to achieve peace.”

FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY DISCUSSES EGYPT-U.S. PARTNERSHIP ON MORNING JOE
On 8 August, Foreign Minister Shoukry appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. He discussed the strategic partnership between Egypt and the U.S., Egypt’s leadership role in working to resolve regional challenges, and Egypt’s ongoing political and economic reform efforts. During the interview, the Foreign Minister said that Egypt was “dedicated to creating political, economic and social reform. This is a process of evolution for any society, and we will continue to address it in the most transparent and impactful manner.” When asked about the Egypt-U.S. partnership, Minister Shoukry told Morning Joethat Egypt and the United States should continue working together “to regain the stability, to regain the status of nation-states of the region so they can undertake the responsibilities in protecting their citizens against terrorism and to provide the necessary services to continue on the road of political, economic and social reform to better the lives of people of the region.” Minister Shoukry also highlighted Egypt’s leadership in Middle East peace efforts. “Our role is to facilitate, to create an environment that is free from threats of violence, and to provide the humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza to the degree that we can,” he said. You can watch Minister Shoukry’s full Morning Joe interview here.