Bangladesh urges Indonesia to ease visa processing for its nationals

Bangladesh has urged Indonesia to ease visa processing for Bangladeshi nationals to boost tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people connectivity between the two countries.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir made the request when Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Listyowati paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Dhaka today.

During the meeting, they discussed a range of issues of mutual interest, including trade and business, investment in the energy sector, disaster management, education and training, capacity building, tourism, cultural exchange and consular affairs.

The state minister particularly sought easier visa processing for Bangladeshis to facilitate greater movement between the two countries, read a press release.

Kobir also urged Indonesia to increase imports of Bangladeshi products and services to deepen and diversify bilateral trade, and expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to elevate trade relations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The Indonesian ambassador reaffirmed her support for diversifying Bangladesh’s exports to Indonesia, including pharmaceuticals.

The two sides also discussed strengthening cooperation in disaster management, including knowledge sharing, exchange of best practices and capacity building.

Kobir sought Indonesia’s support for Bangladesh’s aspirations to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN and join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Ambassador Listyowati reaffirmed Indonesia’s continued support for these initiatives.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation at bilateral, regional and international levels.