Holders of Indonesian and Rwandan diplomatic and service passports can now travel visa-free to each other’s countries.
After signing the agreement during a bilateral meeting in Jakarta between Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Vincent Birut and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, it was announced that such a move would simplify regulations for the entry and stay of officials from the two countries and contribute to strengthening their relations, VisaGuide.World reports.
As of February 2023, Indonesia has granted Rwanda visa-on-arrival (VoA) status to intensify people-to-people contacts.
Rwanda Became 8th Sub-Saharan African Country to Open an Embassy in Indonesia
Rwanda has become the eighth sub-Saharan African country to open an embassy in Jakarta, a milestone in Indonesia-Rwanda relations.
According to Foreign Minister Marsudi, establishing the Rwandan embassy in Jakarta would improve bilateral relations and strengthen Indonesia’s ties with the African continent.
Retno pointed out that Indonesia and Rwanda are members of the Non-Aligned Movement and the G77. Both countries also contribute significantly to UN peacekeeping forces.
She also welcomed Rwanda’s participation in the upcoming second Indonesia-Africa Forum in Bali this September.
The two countries above have also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on political consultations.
This means that this memorandum of understanding will serve as a basis for discussing various aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanging views on regional and international issues. At the same time, Indonesia and Rwanda have intensified security cooperation in recent years.
We are now finalizing an MoU between Indonesia’s National Police and Rwanda’s National Police to combat transnational organized crimes and enhance capacity building. Hopefully, it will be signed soon.
Looking at mutual economic cooperation, Retno noted that trade between the two countries has continued to improve after the pandemic.
In 2023 Value of Trade Between Indonesia & Rwanda Increased by 100%
As the Minister reveals, the value of trade between the two countries increased by 100 percent last year, and in the first quarter of this year, it increased by 32 percent. In this regard, the same said, there is still enough space for trade to rise.
Among other things, to further promote economic cooperation, the two ministers signed a MoU for trade, agriculture, industry, energy and mining.
In addition, the two ministers also discussed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) between Indonesia and Rwanda. They explored the possibility of a PTA between Indonesia and the East African Community (EAC).
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