The meeting followed a July 24 meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila. According to Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), Waseso said Indonesia wants to increase its trade volume with Egypt and highlighted Indonesia’s investment presence in the Egyptian market through various projects. The Aswan meeting focused on cooperation in industry, mining, food products, logistics and investment. Aswan as a gateway to African marketsThe discussions also explored Aswan’s potential role in facilitating Indonesian trade with Sudan and wider African markets. Earlier in February, Abdelatty had also called for stronger Egypt-Indonesia trade and investment ties, including a proposed joint business forum involving private-sector representatives from both countries.