The Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt Lutfi Rauf said that relations in all fields between Indonesia and Egypt grow stronger by the day.
Cooperation in the economic, educational, and cultural fields has continued to grow over the past 10 years, noted Lutfi at the Indonesian embassy in Cairo in celebration of Indonesia’s 78th Independence Day.
Trade exchange between the two countries grew by 56 percent during the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The celebration was attended by high-ranking Egyptian officials, diplomats, and defence attachés from foreign countries in Egypt, businessmen, ambassadors of ASEAN countries, and partners of the Indonesian embassy in Cairo.
Ambassador Hazem El-Tahry, deputy assistant minister of foreign affairs for ASEAN affairs, and Ambassador Salah Abdel-Sadeq, assistant minister of foreign affairs for parliamentary affairs, also attended the event.
The reception witnessed the cutting of a red and white cake in the colours of the Indonesian flag, the showcasing of traditional costumes of different regions in Indonesia, and popular songs by Indonesian students in Egypt.
Ambassador Rauf said that 13,000 Indonesians are studying in Egypt with the majority enrolled at Al-Azhar University.
Rauf expressed his appreciation to the Egyptian government and people for welcoming Indonesians and giving them the opportunity to live and study in Egypt.
“Egypt and Indonesia believe that through strong commitment, determination, and hard work the two countries will be able to survive the current global economic challenges,” he noted.
“We are grateful for finally signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for establishing a joint trade committee in Cairo, in May 2023. The committee is very important for identifying and optimizing the enormous untapped potential of economic cooperation between the two countries,” Rauf added.
“As Indonesia was the chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2023, strengthening collaboration among ASEAN members and dialogue partners is the key to success in the face of the current global challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and food and energy shortage,” Rauf noted.
He added that ASEAN is an economic power with more than 670 million people and has been integrated since 2015 as the fourth largest economic community in the world, after the United States, China, and India, with a combined GDP of around $3.7 trillion in 2030.
Source: Ahram Online