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.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.