CAIRO
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday called on the U.S. to support his country's economy and encourage investments in it.
During a meeting with a congressional delegation, al-Sisi asked the members of the delegation to encourage American businesses to investment in Egypt with the aim of creating jobs for youths in his country, the Egyptian presidency said.
Presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef added in a statement that al-Sisi also demanded U.S. backing in the fight against poverty and illiteracy and raising the quality of education to enhance the values of tolerance and coexistence.
Egypt is scheduled to hold an investment conference on Friday in the resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh.
Al-Sisi's government hopes to secure contracts to the value of $20 billion during the conference, according to official statements.
Around 60 countries are expected to participate in the conference, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Badr Abdel-Ati said earlier.
During his meeting with the U.S. congressional delegation, al-Sisi referred to his previous call for staging a religious revolution.
"The President clarified that he had called for staging a revolution for religion, not against it, with the aim ridding religious discourse of false ideas and also spread the tolerant values of true Islam," Youssef said.
The members of the congressional delegation, meanwhile, said they would continue to support Egypt through Congress, according to the presidential spokesman.
Led by Rodney Frelinghuysen, the chairman of the Defense Subcommittee in lower house of Congress, the delegation noted that their support would extend to the military field in order to aid Egypt in its ongoing war on terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula and secure its western borders, Youssef added.
Egyptian security forces have been waging a campaign against militants in Sinai – which shares borders with both Israel and the Gaza Strip – amid a rise in attacks on army and police personnel.
