Egypt schedules major economic summit in March

A date has now been set for the economic development summit that Egyptian officials have been talking about for the past several months, with the event scheduled to take place from March 13-15 in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

After several delays, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb told the state-owned Middle East News Agency on Saturday that Egypt’s Economic Development Conference has been scheduled to ensure high attendance from partners around the world.

The conference is not an isolated event, but is part of the government’s broader development efforts, which Mehleb told MENA requires support from citizens and partners “to ensure the country's stability and that of the region and the world,” in reference to global terrorism.

Officials from the International Monetary Fund are currently in Cairo to assess the nation’s progress on various economic reforms. Their presence may signal the resumption of talks regarding a loan to Egypt, which have been stalled for the past three years.