August 8, 2026 | 12:54 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia is pushing to hold the second meeting of the Indonesia-Egypt Joint Trade Committee (JTC) in 2026 as the two countries seek to deepen trade and investment ties and explore new bilateral trade agreements.
Indonesian Trade Minister Budi Santoso raised the proposal during a bilateral meeting with Egypt's Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid Saleh in Jaipur, India, on Friday, August 7.
The meeting discussed efforts to strengthen bilateral trade cooperation, including proposals to begin negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
“We hope the commitment to trade and investment between the two countries can be further strengthened by starting negotiations under the PTA and FTA frameworks. To accelerate the negotiations, Indonesia is encouraging the second JTC meeting to be scheduled for 2026,” Budi said in a statement issued Saturday.
Budi also proposed holding online discussions and communications as an interim step before the JTC meeting takes place in person.
Indonesia, Egypt Eye New Trade Agreements
At the first JTC meeting, Indonesia and Egypt agreed to explore a trade agreement aimed at increasing bilateral trade and investment.
The commitment was later reinforced through a Joint Statement on Strategic Partnership between the governments of Indonesia and Egypt, signed by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on April 12, 2025.
Budi said Indonesia had submitted the Terms of Reference (TOR) to Egypt on October 10, 2025, followed by a proposal to launch negotiations and a draft Joint Ministerial Statement on November 4, 2025.
Saleh supported the proposal to promptly schedule the second JTC meeting and begin negotiations with greater private-sector involvement.
He also proposed several measures to expand cooperation, including establishing joint ventures in the ready-made garment industry and holding online meetings to facilitate trade in agricultural products.
Bilateral Trade Reaches $1.74 Billion
Egypt ranked as Indonesia's 24th-largest export destination and 40th-largest source of imports, according to Indonesia's Trade Ministry.
Bilateral trade reached $1.74 billion in January-June 2026, comprising $1.09 billion in Indonesian exports to Egypt and $647.7 million in imports from Egypt.
Total bilateral trade stood at $2.38 billion in 2025, with trade growing at an average annual rate of 6.16 percent between 2021 and 2025.
Indonesia recorded a $1.50 billion trade surplus with Egypt in 2025, with exports reaching $1.94 billion and imports totaling $439.8 million.
Indonesia's main exports to Egypt include animal and vegetable fats and oils; coffee, tea and spices; electrical machinery and equipment; inorganic chemicals; and aluminum.
Egypt's main exports to Indonesia include fertilizers; salt, sulfur and lime; fruit; vegetables; and ores, slag and ash.
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