Sisi meets ASEAN secretary general in Jakarta

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Saturday met with Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Le Luong Minh in Jakarta.

Sisi and Minh discussed ways to boost cooperation between Egypt and the ASEAN.

Minh appreciated Egypt's keen interest in promoting good relations with ASEAN and its intention to deepen its diplomatic outreach in Southeast Asia, Egypt's presidential spokesman Alaa Yousef Said.

The secretary general reviewed areas of cooperation between ASEAN countries which focus on three key dimensions of security, economic and social policies.

He also briefed Sisi on the recent developments in ASEAN, including the formal establishment of its Community by the end of 2015.

He further conveyed that ASEAN is working on the Post-2015 Vision, in which a key element is the expansion of ASEAN's external relations to reach out to new and emerging partners in Africa and Middle East.

Sisi noted the strong and historical relations with several ASEAN Member States and the growing trade ties between the two sides.

He highlighted Egypt's economic potential and its efforts to promote trade and investment in the country including a new legislation to protect and support foreign investors.

The President also informed the Secretary-General on the recent development in Egypt, including the newly inaugurated Suez Canal in early August this year and its next phase of development.

Sisi said that the new parallel canal will improve regional and global trade and will have a positive impact on Egypt's economy.

Minh highlighted the economic potential of the ASEAN region with the vast market of 625 million people and combined GDP of over USD 2.5 trillion and noted the economic benefits of cooperation with Egypt.

At the international level, Sisi hailed the convergence of visions between Egypt and the ASEAN countries on many regional and international issues of common concern, which promotes coordination between the two sides in multilateral and international forums, including the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.

At the end of the meeting, Sisi and Minh agreed to also further explore closer cooperation in areas such as education, tourism, cultural heritage conservation and security including the fight against terrorism and violence.

ASEAN and Egypt will also explore activities and exchanges to increase mutual understanding through business-to-business networks and people-to-people linkages.

The president concluded his Indonesian trip with a visit to Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, where more than 7,000 people who were military casualties and veterans from Indonesian War of Independence are buried.
Source: MENA