WASHINGTON, March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC), in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, will host U.S. Ambassadors currently serving in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on March 23 at the U.S. Department of State. The third annual Ambassadors Forum will provide insights into opportunities and challenges for U.S. companies looking to do business in the region. CONFIRMED U.S. Chiefs of Mission who will be attending the Forum include: Hon. Joan Polaschik, Algeria; Hon. William Roebuck, Bahrain; Hon. Michael Ratney, Jerusalem; Hon. Alice Wells, Jordan; Hon. Douglas Silliman, Kuwait; Hon. Deborah Jones, Libya; Hon. Larry André, Mauritania; Hon. Dwight Bush, Morocco; Hon. Dana Shell Smith, Qatar; Hon. Joseph Westphal, Saudi Arabia; Hon. Jacob Walles, Tunisia; and Hon. Barbara Leaf, United Arab Emirates.
In recent years, U.S. exports to the MENA countries, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have been doubling every four years. According to recent U.S. Government statistics, U.S. exports to the MENA region in 2014 surpassed $71 billion for the first time ever.
“Our Chamber is honored to host such a high-level gathering of U.S. Ambassadors,” said David Hamod, NUSACC President and CEO. “Now in its third year, the U.S. Ambassadors Forum is one of our premier events, particularly in light of these ambassadors’ breadth of experience.”
The U.S. Ambassadors Forum is also expected to attract a number of Arab Ambassadors to the United States. In recent years, the Forum has attracted major media, including C-SPAN, CNN, Foreign Policy magazine , The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, and others.
The two-hour event will be divided into two panels, beginning at 4:00 pm. The first panel will focus on ” Beyond the Arab Spring: Opportunities for Growth in Economies in Transition,” while the second panel will concentrate on ” Energy Diversification in the MENA Region: Exploring New Frontiers.”
The strong interest of the U.S. business community in the Ambassadors Forum is a reflection of the growing commercial relationship between the United States and the Arab world. In 2014, U.S. exports to the Arab world grew for the fifth consecutive year.
For more information about the U.S. Ambassadors Economic & Commercial Forum and other NUSACC activities, visit http://www.nusacc.org.
SOURCE National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce
