US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a conversation with a group of youth at the American University in Cairo (AUC) on Sunday at the beginning of his Egypt visit. Blinken s Twitter account
Blinken is in a two-day official visit to Egypt that extends to Monday, during which he is set to meet with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry.
Blinken will then travel to Israel and the West Bank from 30-31 January to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian relations and de-escalation of the current tensions between the two sides.
“I wanted to start here for a couple of reasons,” the US Embassy in Cairo quoted Blinken as saying in the conversation with youth at the AUC.
“The main reason is this: As we’re looking at the partnership between the United States and Egypt, the strategic partnership that is of great consequence to the United States, we know that going forward that partnership ultimately is going to be built and sustained and strengthened by the people here today and the people that you represent,” Blinken stated.
He stressed the importance that the US engage with every sector of society in Egypt, especially the rising generation of Egyptians, rather than just engaging government to government.
“Quite literally, you will be the ones making this country and you will be the ones who are carrying forward the relationship with the United States,” Blinken stressed.
Egypt and the US mark more than a century of diplomatic cooperation and friendship.
In a statement on Sunday, the US Department of State affirmed that the US stands with Egypt and supports Egyptians in their pursuit of a prosperous future which protects fundamental freedoms for all.
"The United States stands with Egypt and the Egyptian people to promote regional security, bolster economic resilience, advance people-to-people ties, tackle the climate crisis, strengthen a critical defense partnership," the statement added.
The US said it is cooperating "closely" with Egypt to de-escalate conflicts and promote sustainable peace, including by supporting UN mediation to enable elections in Libya as soon as possible.
They are also cooperating to restore a civilian-led transition in Sudan through the Framework Political Agreement, the statement added.
It noted that both nations share "an unwavering" commitment to a negotiated two-state solution as the only path to a "lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and equal measures of security, prosperity, and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians."
The statement also hailed Egypt as a valued US partner in counterterrorism, anti-trafficking and regional security operations, which advance both US and Egyptian security.
The US and Egypt have a shared commitment to strengthening bilateral economic cooperation for the mutual benefit of the American and Egyptian people, including through expanding trade, increasing private sector investments and collaborating on clean energy and climate technology.
Egypt-US total bilateral trade in goods hit $9.1 billion in 2021, the highest level ever with Egypt being the US largest export market in Africa, the US Department of State said in April last year.
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