Washington - The Egyptian 'Door-knocking' campaign including 35 companies started its annual visit to the United States today. The visit will last for five days to promote investment in Egypt through meetings with a number of American companies and financial institutions, according to Anis Aclimandos, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. The mission, the 40th in the history of the chamber, will also hold a series of meetings with decision makers and officials from various US executive departments, such as trade, foreign affairs, and defence. It will furthermore meet members of the US congress and representatives from banks and international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Aclimandos said this visit has a unique importance, following the rapprochement between Egypt and the United States after President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's visit to the US. "The picture now is more positive than ever before, as Europe lost much of its strength, which amplifies the US' importance," Aclimandos stated. Aclimandos explained that the mission will focus on presenting the efforts and measures taken by the government in the field of economic reform, such as the flotation of the pound and the reformation of public finances through the application of a value added tax and the restructuring of the subsidies system. US investment in Egypt amounted to $21.3bn at the end of 2015, which accounts for 33.2% of its overall investments in Africa. Egypt is, therefore, the biggest recipient of US investments in Africa and the second largest in the Middle East. The United States are among the top 10 investors in Egypt. President Trump had welcomed Egyptian President El-Sisi to the White House earlier in April, marking the first visit by Egyptian president to Washington since Hosni Mubarak's visit in 2010.
