Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto is now en route to Egypt, marking the first time in over a decade for an Indonesian leader to visit the Middle Eastern country.

The last time for an Indonesian president to set foot in Egypt was back in 2013. Ex-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) was in Cairo for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit. Prabowo’s first order in business once he lands would be to have some bilateral talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. 

“An Indonesian president last visited Egypt in 2013, so that was 11 years ago. Egypt is both a close friend and strategic partner for Indonesia. We consider it as an important country in the Middle East,” Prabowo told the press at Halim Perdanakusuma air force base in Jakarta.

Egypt was the first country to officially recognize Indonesia's independence.

The former army general did not go into detail on what he would discuss with Sisi. Prabowo’s predecessor and two-term president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo never traveled to Egypt. He, however, hosted Sisi for an official visit in Jakarta in 2015. Jokowi also sent former Vice President Ma’ruf Amin to address the UN climate talks COP-27 two years ago.

Prabowo is set to meet fellow leaders of the Developing-8 or D-8 at the group’s summit in Egypt. The D-8 is an economic cooperation that encompasses eight developing countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye. All members are part of OIC grouping.

“D-8 is such an important platform, especially considering the current situation. Starting in Jan. 2026, Indonesia will assume the group’s rotating chairmanship,” Prabowo said.

Egypt is now at the D-8’s helm, and its presidency will last until end-2025. The upcoming summit will tackle the theme of investing in youth as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These small businesses happen to make up a large part of Indonesia’s economy.

Government data shows Indonesia-Egypt trade hit $1.4 billion so far in 2024 as of October. Last year’s total trade amounted to $1.5 billion. According to the state news agency Antara, 13,000 Indonesian students are currently studying in Egyptian universities. Most of them go to Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

Prabowo has had a busy overseas schedule since officially rising to power in late October. Just last November, he embarked on a two-week, multi-nation tour to meet China’s President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Joe Biden, among others. Prabowo is set to wrap up his Cairo trip with a state visit to Malaysia.