Cairo, Jakarta Agree to Bolster Economic, Development Cooperation

 Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Indonesian Minister of Finance. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Indonesian Minister of Finance. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Cairo, Jakarta Agree to Bolster Economic, Development Cooperation

 Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Indonesian Minister of Finance. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Indonesian Minister of Finance. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Jakarta on Friday.

Both sides agreed to bolster bilateral economic and development cooperation and discussed several topics of mutual interest.

A cabinet statement on Friday revealed that Shoukry handed Widodo a letter from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi tackling all means of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and ways to enhance them.

Sisi also briefed Widodo about the ongoing preparations to host the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022 in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Shoukry said Egypt looks forward to give more impetus to all aspects of bilateral ties, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez.

He underlined the importance of continued consultations to coordinate positions in line with the aspirations of the two friendly peoples.

Shoukry arrived in Jakarta as part of an Asian tour he kicked off last week which included Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

He will next visit Pakistan to participate in the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that will be held in Islamabad on March 22.

Hafez said Shoukry also met Friday with Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and discussed with him aspects of promoting economic ties and exploring cooperation opportunities in various development fields.

He later signed a memorandum of understanding with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi to establish an Indonesian-Egyptian joint committee.

Shoukry signed another MoU with Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar to cooperate in the field of protecting the environment and sustainable development.



France: Window of Opportunity Open for Lebanon Ceasefire

A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of  al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
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France: Window of Opportunity Open for Lebanon Ceasefire

A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of  al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
A photo taken from the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre shows smoke billowing following an Israeli airstrike which targeted the area of al-Hosh on the outskirts of Tyre, on November 19, 2024. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)

France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that US-led efforts for a truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon had created the chance for a lasting ceasefire.

"There is a window of opportunity that's opening for a lasting ceasefire in Lebanon that would allow the return of those displaced, ensure the sovereignty of Lebanon and the security of Israel," Jean-Noel Barrot told Europe 1 radio.

"I call on all sides with whom we are in close contact to seize this window."

Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s pointman on Israel and Lebanon, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday as Hezbollah’s allies in the Lebanese government said the group had responded positively to a ceasefire proposal, which would entail both its fighters and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from a UN buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

Hochstein said he held “very constructive talks” with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah who is mediating on the group’s behalf.

Berri said the "situation is good in principle,” although some technical details remain unresolved. The Lebanese side was waiting to hear the results of Hochstein's talks with Israeli officials, he told Asharq al-Awsat.