Philippines Ambassador to Cairo Ezzedin Tago welcomed the attendees and ambassadors of ASEAN countries at the opening of the iftar.
The event attendees included ASEAN ambassadors in Cairo (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam); former Foreign Minister Mohamed El-Orabi; Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for ASEAN Affairs Ambassador Hazem El-Tahry; and prominent Egyptian media representatives and journalists.
Indonesian Ambassador to Cairo Lutfi Rauf, current chair of the ASEAN Committee in Cairo (ACC), said: “ASEAN is one of the most diverse regions in the world, yet it has managed to transform itself into a community.”
“As Indonesia was the chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2023, it worked on strengthening collaboration among ASEAN members and dialogue partners as the key to success,” Ambassador Rauf added.
ASEAN is an economic power with more than 670 million people.
Since 2015, it has been integrated as the fourth largest economic community in the world, following the United States, China, and India, with a combined GDP of around $3.7 trillion in 2030.
Moreover, ASEAN's trade volume with Egypt has reached over $3.5 billion, while its total investments have amounted to more than $1 billion.
Egypt has become a home for more than 20,000 people from the ASEAN, many of whom are Al-Azhar University students.
The iftar is one of the ACC activities for bringing ASEAN closer to Egypt.
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