TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that Indonesia and Egypt had agreed to strengthen ties in education by increasing the Indonesian students quota in Egypt.
“The dormitory development to accommodate 3,000 Indonesian students at Al-Azhar University, Egyt, has been realized,” Retno said after a bilateral meeting with Egypt Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Jakarta Convention Center, Senayan, on Sunday, March 6, 2016.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had been in talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss cooperation in the education sector during el-Sisi’s visit to Indonesia in September 2015.
“Both countries are strongly committed to develop the education sector through scholarship programs,” Retno said.
Retno added that Indonesia had a strong relationship with Egypt.
“Egypt is one of the countries that support Indonesia’s sovereignty. We have a strong relatiosnhip with Egypt,” Retno explained.
Minister Shoukry said that the Egyptian government appreciated Indonesia as the host of the international Islamic Cooperation Organization Summit.
“We support the conference. The forum can be a shortcut for Islamic states’ solidarity to seek the right solution for conflicts in Palestine,” Shoukry said.
YOHANES PASKALIS
