Minister: US aid, grants should chime with government programs, priorities

Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nassr said on Thursday that Cairo is ready to boost ties with Washington but the grants and aid coming from the US to Egypt should be consistent with the government’s development plans and priorities. 

The minister made the remarks during a meeting with head of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Gayle E. Smith. 

During her visit to Washington, the minister held meetings with US officials and representatives of international financial institutions. 

According to a statement by the International Cooperation Ministry, Nassr told Smith that Cairo is ready to increase cooperation with the USAID. 

The minister reviewed with the US officials the situation in Egypt and status of the USAID-funded projects in Egypt. 

Nassr held another meeting with chairman of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund James A. Harmon. 

The Egyptian minister and Harmon agreed on forming a council of advisors to jointly define areas of cooperation in the fields of development and investment, the statement said.

Source: MENA