"This is the reason we bring potential investors from Egypt to Gorontalo, to meet the coffee suppliers, especially to see Robusta coffee," said Helmy at the "Indonesia Middle East Update (IMEU) 2016", held in Gorontalo on Oct 9, 2016.
He explained that Indonesias relationship with Egypt has always been very close, as there are about 4,500 Indonesian students studying in Egypt.
According to Helmy, Indonesian products have superior penetration in some markets in Egypt, though the volume remains small, at about 1.42 percent. Conversely, imports from Egypt to Indonesia are just 0.09 percent, but volume continues to increase sharply.
"In the first half year, the trade volume between the two countries has almost reached one billion US dollars and continues to increase," he said.
An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ridwan Yasin, explains that IMEU is a concrete form of cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Middle East Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with local governments.
"This is a concrete manifestation of cooperation between the foreign ministry and the local government, to improve the economy in this area," he explained.
He said he hoped this year that the IMEU could provide great benefits and a real contribution to economic development in Gorontalo province, and cooperation with countries in the Middle East.
He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through Indonesian embassies abroad, never stops scheduling promotions, which provide an opportunity for the region to offer a variety of investments.
"But the most important thing to keep the investment climate in the area is changing society's mindset, so they can accept foreigners and work together here, for the mutual benefit of both sides," he said. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
