CAIRO, Aug 5, 2018 (MENA) - Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri will embark on a two-day visit to Washington on Monday for talks with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton and meetings with leading US companies investing or desiring to invest in the Egyptian market. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the minister will also attend a round-table dialogue with representatives of a number of influential US think tanks and give interviews to some American media outlets. He noted that the visit falls within the framework of keenness on maintaining continued high-level contacts with the US Administration. It aims, he added, at fostering strategic bilateral relations and emphasising the importance of serving mutual interests on all fronts in addition to coordinating dates for the coming round of joint strategic dialogue and meetings under the 2+2 formula involving the two countries' foreign and defence ministers. He also said that the top diplomat's meetings in Washington aim at exchanging views with the US side on a raft of regional and international issues and regional challenges and developments as well as efforts to support regional peace and stability. Shoukri's talks with Pompeo will tackle the wide spectrum of bilateral relations, including US economic, development and military assistance to Egypt, the progress achieved in Egypt's socio-economic development reforms and terrorism-combat efforts, Abu Zeid said. The minister's meeting with Bolton, his first since the latter assumed office in April, will focus on means to propel bilateral relations and the current conditions in the Middle East region plus some international issues of mutual interest, the spokesman added.
