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Egyptians abroad weighing lobby to boost country's image in US

The General Union of Egyptians Abroad will lobby the Biden administration on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's achievements.

A voter walks to her ballot box during voting for Egypt's parliamentary elections at the Egyptian embassy October 18, 2015 in Washington, DC.  Egyptians trickled in to polling stations Sunday to elect a new parliament that will tighten President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's grip on power after he crushed all opposition since ousting his Islamist predecessor. The vote for the much-delayed 596-member parliament is being staged in two phases ending on December 2, with Egyptians abroad casting their votes for the fir
A voter walks to the ballot box during voting for Egypt's parliamentary elections at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, Oct. 18, 2015. — Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

CAIRO — Egypt is seeking to form an Egyptian lobby in the United States to present a positive image of their country and government to the Joe Biden administration.

During an online meeting Feb. 22, the General Union of Egyptians Abroad discussed the possibility of forming an Egyptian lobby aimed at leading civil society organizations to pressure the American public opinion and introduce the Egyptian point of view vis-a-vis the American leadership.

Ismail Ahmad, chairman of the union, said during the meeting, "The union is working on gathering all Egyptian immigrants in the United States — from the West Coast to the East Coast — and unifying their ranks to form an Egyptian lobby capable of achieving several benefits and overcoming challenges.”

The General Union of Egyptians Abroad is a well-known civil society institution in the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The union has publicly declared its support for the Egyptian government and had previously organized several conferences for Egyptians abroad to endorse the nomination of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for a second term in office in 2018.

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