ER
INDONESIA and Rwanda signed a visa waiver agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports during a bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Thursday (06/06).
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the agreement will simplify the entry and stay regulations for officials from both countries and help strengthen their relations.
“Indonesia has been granting visa-on-arrival (VoA) status to Rwanda since February last year to enhance people-to-people contacts. During the meeting, Retno and Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Vincent Biruta, also discussed political, security and economic issues,” she said
Indonesia and Rwanda signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Political Consultations. The MoU will serve as a basis for discussing various aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanging views on regional and international issues. Indonesia and Rwanda have also intensified security cooperation in recent years.
“We are now finalizing an MoU between the Indonesian National Police and the Rwandan National Police on combating transnational organized crime and enhancing capacity building. I hope it will be signed soon,” Retno stated.
On economic cooperation, she said bilateral trade between the two countries had continued to improve after the pandemic.
“Last year, the value of trade between the two countries increased by 100 percent, and in the first quarter of this year, it increased by 32 percent. However, we believe there is still ample room for growth. “To further boost economic cooperation, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on trade, agriculture, industry, energy and mining, among others,” Retno noted.
They also discussed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) between Indonesia and Rwanda and explored the possibility of a PTA between Indonesia and the East African Community (EAC). [antaranews]
