Cair, Egypt -  CCCPA hosted a dinner in honor of a delegation of professional staffers from the U.S. Congress on April 1, 2015. The delegation included aids to Senator James Lankford, Senator Jeff Merkley, Senator Martin Heinrich, Senator Angus King, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Senator Orrin Hatch, Representative Jeffery Fortenberry, Senator John McCain, Senator Christopher Murphy, Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Senator Gerald Moran, and Senator Christopher Coons.

Counselor Hatem El-Atawy, CCCPA Projects Manager, presented a brief about Egypt’s role in promoting peace, security and prosperity in Africa. He also highlighted the Center’s contribution to these efforts through its training, capacity building and research activities. Counselor Amr El-Sherbiny, Director of UN Affairs at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - and a representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior - briefed the visiting delegation about Egypt’s contribution to UN peacekeeping missions in Africa. 

During the three-hour-long open discussion, congressional staffers raised many issues, including: the state of readiness of the African Standby Force (ASF); the role of major international actors in Africa; and Egypt’s bilateral relations with the United States and other global powers.