Cairo and Jakarta have plenty in common. They’re both the capital cities of their respective countries, they both have Muslim-majority populations, they both have major infrastructure and traffic problems and they’re both hot as balls.
And now they’re sisters.
Today, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama signed an official Letter of Intent to formalize sister city relations between Jakarta and Cairo. The document was also signed by Egyptian Ambassador to Indonesia Bahaa El Deen Bahgat Ibrahim Dessouki at City Hall this afternoon.
“There are many areas for cooperation. For example, the economy and investment in Cairo and Jakarta, and also education to exchange experiences regarding the challenges faced by both Cairo and Jakarta in terms of slums and pollution,” Dessouki said as quoted by Kompas.
The ambassador noted that Cairo faces similar congestion problems as Jakarta, with many families in the Egyptian capital owning 5-6 cars.
“In Egypt, we have also built subways, bridges, tunnels, and new streets in Cairo. We believe we can solve this problem,” Dessouki said.
The memorandum signed by Ahok and the ambassador says the two cities will exchange information and expertise as well as encourage cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, tourism, urban development planning, education and the environment.
