US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin visited Egypt, on 5-6 January, to reaffirm the enduring US commitment to Egypt, and to discuss a range of topics of mutual concern.
During his visit, Mnuchin held a number of high-level meetings including with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The US Secretary of the Treasury also met with: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry; Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aaty; and Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait.
During the meetings, the two sides discussed ongoing efforts to facilitate an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and explore areas of further economic and security cooperation.
As part of his visit to Egypt, which precedes later travel to Sudan, Mnuchin emphasised the need to equitably resolve the outstanding points of disagreement to forge a binding agreement on the Ethiopian Dam.
This will ensure that Egyptian equities and concerns are addressed, as well as those of the other parties involved in negotiations.
He welcomed the flourishing bilateral trade and investment relations between the US and Egypt, and noted that he looked forward to their recovering to pre-pandemic levels in the near future.
Mnuchin also discussed US best practices in combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
“Egypt is a vital partner of the US, as demonstrated by the over 1,200 American companies active here, with total bilateral trade growing 76% over the past four years,” Mnuchin said, “I thank President Al-Sisi for his warm welcome and for our productive meetings, as we explore further economic and security cooperation.”
