She made the statement following a meeting between President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Al-Tayeb, in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Marsudi said that the Egyptian university currently has around 13,000 Indonesian students, with 200 being scholarship beneficiaries from last year.
"The 13,000 Indonesian students are a very large percentage compared to the total number of students studying at Al-Azhar," she said.
While speaking to Al-Tayeb, Jokowi said that Egypt has been a study destination for Indonesian students for a long time.
Moreover, 95 percent of Indonesian citizens living in Egypt are Indonesian students, Marsudi noted.
According to the minister, Al-Tayeb said that he had never heard of any problems involving any of the over 13,000 Indonesian students there.
"This statement indicates that he views Indonesian students as academicians with good character," Marsudi added.
In the spirit of reciprocity in relations, Jokowi expressed his commitment to encouraging the establishment of Markaz Tathwir, or a development center for Al-Azhar branches, in Indonesia.
Jokowi and Al-Tayeb also discussed the prolonged conflict in Gaza. Marsudi said that they both agreed on the need for the international community to continue pushing for a lasting ceasefire and uninterrupted distribution of humanitarian aid to those in need.
Both agreed on the need to pursue an immediate end to the war by emphasizing the participation of Muslim states to echo the messages of peace for Palestine, Marsudi added.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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