Iraq and Indonesia have signed a mutual visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports.
During the meeting of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mr Fuad Hussein of Iraq and Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Retno Marsudi, it was revealed that such an agreement is designed to facilitate entry and strengthen friendly relations and diplomatic cooperation based on reciprocity, VisaGuide.World reports.
In addition, the two ministers discussed various bilateral and global issues of common interest, including cooperation and the situation in Palestine. They highlighted the importance of facilitating the entry of citizens from both nations into each other’s territories.
Regarding Palestine, Minister Marsudi expressed deep concern over the ongoing crisis, which has resulted in over 41,000 lives lost in Gaza and the West Bank. As fellow OIC members, Indonesia and Iraq reaffirmed their strong support for Palestine and their commitment to collective efforts to end the conflict and alleviate suffering.
The meeting concluded with a signing ceremony for the visa exemption agreement, further solidifying the longstanding and robust relationship between Indonesia and Iraq, which dates back to 1950.
Since 2019, the two countries have experienced an impressive annual bilateral trade growth rate of 23 percent, with PT Pertamina increasing participating interest to 20 percent last year. They also identified future cooperation opportunities in the green economy.
Indonesia Signed Visa Exemption Agreement with Nepal, Too
On September 22, Indonesia also signed a similar decision with Nepal on a visa-free agreement for holders of diplomatic and official passports during a meeting between their foreign ministers, Retno Marsudi of Indonesia and Arzu Rana Deuba of Nepal, in New York.
This agreement allows diplomatic passport holders from both countries to enter each other’s territories without undergoing the visa process. Additionally, this month, the Indonesian government launched a visa-free travel policy for citizens of 13 countries, including the following destinations:
- Brunei Darussalam
- Philippines
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Timor Leste
- Suriname
- Colombia
- Hong Kong
Under this new regulation, visa-free visitors can stay in Indonesia for up to 30 days. However, the minister retains the authority to suspend this privilege in specific state security or public health situations.
Last week, Indonesia planned to review its tourist visa-on-arrival policy and pre-investment and investment visa regulations. This decision follows allegations of misuse by international visitors intending to stay longer than permitted.
In August of this year, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economies Sandiaga Uno indicated that changes to the visa-on-arrival policy could be implemented as soon as October.