T

he long-awaited visit is upon us. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi makes an historic visit to Jakarta today, 32 years after then president Hosni Mubarak came to Indonesia. Upon receiving an invitation to attend the Asia-Africa Conference in Jakarta last April, El-Sisi himself decided that it was high time to pay the archipelago a visit.

Egypt is of prominent stature in global politics and trade. Two recent events highlight why Egypt matters.

It was Cairo that US President Barack Obama chose as the location to deliver his famous '€œA New Beginning'€ speech, reflecting Egypt'€™s political importance on the global stage.

Economically speaking, meanwhile, El-Sisi recently inaugurated the expansion of the Suez Canal amid economic and security challenges. The US$8.4 billion project is expected to spark economic optimism and attract foreign investors to Egypt. The canal will henceforth be able to accommodate two-way traffic, almost doubling the number of ships that can pass through each day.

In Indonesia'€™s case, relations with Egypt are crucial for at least three reasons.

First, Egypt was the first country to recognize Indonesia'€™s independence in 1947. Spearheaded by then prime minister Nokrashi Pasha, then Arab League secretary-general Abdul Rahman Azzam and then Egyptian consul ceneral in Mumbai, Muhammad Abdul Mun'€™im. Egypt was also instrumental in garnering support from Arab countries for Indonesian freedom from colonialism.

Almost all Indonesian presidents have visited Egypt; founding president Sukarno alone made six visits.

Meanwhile, then Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser made his first visit to Indonesia during the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference.

Diplomatic relations flourished as Sukarno and Nasser together founded the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961.

Second, many prominent Indonesian leaders and religious scholars and clerics, or ulema, are alumni of Al Azhar University, a thousand-year-old center of Islamic learning. Among its Indonesian students have been Abdul Kahar Muzakir, one of the drafters of our Constitution, Prof. Dr. HM Rasjidi, the first religious affairs minister, and such famous scholars and clerics as Mustofa Bisri and Quraish Shihab.

Al Azhar has been educating Indonesians since the mid-19th century. The first generation of Indonesian students, known as the Ruwak Jawi (Javanese Community), lived near the Al Azhar Mosque. There are, furthermore, currently around 3,000 Indonesian nationals studying at the university, and in 2014, to enhance educational ties, the Indonesian government donated four student dormitory buildings.

Al Azhar University is also a torchbearer for moderate Islam. Last March, President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo asked the university, through Grand Sheikh Ahmad Thayeb, to help propagate moderate Islamic understanding in Indonesia.

Third, Egypt is Indonesia'€™s third-largest trade partner in Africa after Nigeria and South Africa. Bilateral trade has been on the up, reaching $1.48 billion in 2014.

This is a 41.7 percent increase from 2010 figures. Moreover, Indonesia has seen a 79 percent increase in trade surplus over the last five years.

Indonesian palm oil can be found in almost all Egyptian households, while PT Indofood and PT Kedaung Group have used Egypt as a hub from which to market their products to Africa and Europe.

What improvements in bilateral cooperation can we expect in the years ahead?

In my view, there are broad avenues of cooperation to explore between Indonesia and Egypt.

In the economic sphere, the two governments have committed to pushing forward progressive, balanced and sustainable two-way trade cooperation.

Reaching a new trade target of $2 billion by 2020 is also on the agenda. To support bilateral trade and investment relations, agreement has been reached on the establishment of an Indonesia '€” Egypt trade
committee.

Support for Palestine continues to be a common concern. Last year, Egypt co-hosted with Norway a conference entitled '€œReconstructing Gaza'€ in which Indonesia pledged $1 million toward rebuilding the Gaza Strip.

Stepping up joint efforts to combat the threat of international terrorism through intelligence sharing, countering cyberterrorism and refining the eradication of extremism are further focuses of the bilateral cooperation.

On the multilateral stage, both countries carry substantial diplomatic weight; Cairo is the headquarters of the Arab League, while Jakarta is the diplomatic capital of ASEAN.

In this regard, the two countries can also be partners, sharing valuable experience in promoting democracy, moderate Islam and development.

El-Sisi'€™s visit, this time around, should create the momentum needed to deepen the bilateral ties that benefit common interests and contribute to global peace, stability and prosperity.
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The writer is deputy foreign affairs minister and a former Indonesian ambassador to Egypt (2007'€“2011).