Egypt and Indonesia aim for $5bn in trade by 2030
Presidents Sisi and Prabowo signed four agreements in Jakarta. Indonesia also backed Egypt's position on the Nile.
Cairo — Egypt and Indonesia have set a target of $5 billion in trade between them by 2030, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said after talks with President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, Daily News Egypt reports.
Mr Sisi's official visit took place on 10 and 11 October. The two leaders agreed to remove obstacles to trade, expand joint manufacturing and bring more Indonesian investment into Egypt, which Cairo is promoting as a base for producing and exporting to Arab, African and other markets.
Four agreements
The presidents witnessed the signing of four memorandums of understanding, covering:
- maritime affairs and fisheries;
- cooperation on statistics;
- an action plan for the two countries' strategic partnership;
- visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic, service and special passports.
A joint statement welcomed cooperation between Indonesia's Danantara and Egypt's Future of Egypt for Sustainable Development Authority on crude palm oil and its derivatives, and on phosphate fertilisers and their raw materials. The leaders encouraged the two bodies to extend that into infrastructure, energy, logistics and agribusiness.
The Nile
Mr Sisi described the Nile as an existential matter for Egypt and rejected unilateral measures that threaten its water security. Mr Prabowo backed Egypt's efforts, and the joint statement stressed the rules of international law on rivers that cross borders, including the duty to avoid significant harm.
Other matters
The two governments agreed to deepen defence and security cooperation. Both presidents supported an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians and called for unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. On tensions in the Gulf, they called for immediate de-escalation.
Mr Sisi said Egypt receives thousands of Indonesian students every year at Al-Azhar and other universities. Al-Azhar decided in November 2025 to introduce Indonesian language studies.
This report is based on reporting by Daily News Egypt.
