Egyptian foreign ministry said discussions would address prominent regional and international issues of interest The US State Department said Blinken would host his Egyptian counterpart Nov. 8-9 for the strategic dialogue CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has flown to Washington to hold talks with US counterparts on all aspects of bilateral relations and areas of cooperation. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the discussions would address the most prominent regional and international issues of mutual interest. Ahmed Hafez, the official spokesman for the ministry, stated that Shoukry is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and a number of other government officials, and will also meet members of Congress, in addition to holding talks with members of various research and centers and institutes. The US State Department said Blinken would host his Egyptian counterpart Nov. 8-9 for the strategic dialogue. It added in a statement that the Egyptian and American delegations will discuss international and regional issues, and cooperation in the field of security and others. The statement confirmed that the meeting will include senior officials from the US Agency for International Development and the US Department of Defence, and described Egypt as a “vital partner” of the US, which is committed to strengthening its 40-year-old partnership with Cairo by improving security cooperation, human rights, and strengthening economic and cultural ties. The secretary of state held talks with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo in May, and met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss regional and international issues of common interest.