U.S., Egypt move closer to signing customs cooperation deal soon: minister

Egypt and the United States are looking to bring into effect a bilateral customs cooperation agreement in the coming period, Egyptian Trade Minister Amr Nassar said on Sunday.

The cooperation is a key step towards reaching a bilateral free trade agreement between Cairo and Washington.

Given Egypt’s officially joining the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), there is a key opportunity to boost its exports to the regional and continental markets along with the U.S. in particular, Nassar said in a ministry statement.

The Egyptian minister made his remarks following a meeting with Ian Steff – Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing – along with his accompanying high-profile delegation visiting Cairo. The delegation included government officials as well as 110 American companies from various sectors.