Efforts to establish an American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt date back to the 1950s, when American and Egyptian business representatives initiated a dialogue with both the United States Council of the International Chamber of Commerce and the United States Chamber of Commerce. The idea remained dormant until the initiation of the “Open Door Policy” and the subsequent call for the formation of the Egypt-U.S. Business Council and the U.S.-Egypt Business Council, which were officially launched in 1979 at the U.S. Chamber’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., during a ceremony with then-Presidents Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat. As a first resolution, the Councils called for the establishment of an American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt.