Citing Antara News, Tempo is reporting that Indonesia and the Netherlands discussed strengthening consular cooperation to make visa issuance easier for Indonesian citizens holding ordinary passports at a forum in Bandung, West Java, according to an official statement received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on Tuesday (14/5/24.)
The forum was entitled “The 2nd Consular and Diplomatic Facilities Dialogue between the Republic of Indonesia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands,” and it raised important topics regarding cooperation in handling consular issues and problems, visas, and diplomatic facilities, as well as consular cooperation during emergencies or natural disasters.
Tempo reports that the Indonesian delegation was led by the director general of protocol and consular affairs, Ambassador Andi Rachmianto, and accompanied by the director of consular affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Several officials and representatives of related ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the Directorate General of Immigration, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Indonesian Representative in the Netherlands, also participated in the dialogue.
Meanwhile, the Dutch delegation, led by the director general of consular and visa affairs at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dirk Jan Nieuwenhuis, was accompanied by the Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia and officials from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports Tempo, adding that the dialogue was an important effort to protect citizens, which is among the foreign policy priorities of the two countries.
The dialogue was also described as a follow-up to the Comprehensive Partnership Action Plan between Indonesia and the Netherlands, which was inked in 2023, says Tempo.
The joint dialogue was organized with the aim of strengthening consular cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands to ease the movement of people between both countries, thereby supporting cultural exchange, business, and other forms of cooperation.
After the dialogue ended, the two delegations also visited the Asian-African Conference Museum to see the history of the formation of the Asian-African Conference, which will enter its 70th year in 2025.
Source: Tempo, Antara News
