Indonesia and Myanmar sign visa waiver agreement

On the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar) on May 10, Indonesia and Myanmar signed a visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders.

Speaking after the signing ceremony with his Myanmar counterpart Wunna Muang Lwin, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa highlighted the importance of the visa exemption agreement, which contributes to improving people-to-people relations between the two countries, strengthening connectivity between ASEAN countries, and especially promoting tourism between the two countries as well as in the region.

Tourists visit Myanmar. (Source: Lonelyplanet.com)

Mr. Marty emphasized that the relationship between Indonesia and Myanmar is really good and both countries have many similarities as they have been and are going through a democratic transition, and both want to increase cooperation in trade, investment and tourism.

According to Minister Marty, the visa exemption agreement is expected to help the two countries achieve the bilateral trade turnover target of 1 billion USD by 2016. This is also a step towards the ASEAN Common Visa by 2015 as stipulated in the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Visa Exemption signed by member countries in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 25, 2006./.

According to VNA