I

ndonesians are among the citizens of 80 countries who will gain visa-free entry into Belarus in eastern Europe in February, the nation’s ambassador said on Thursday.

Ambassador Vladimir Lopato-Zagorsky said that the visa-free scheme is expected to attract more tourists to go to the landlocked country.

“We want to attract more tourists to come to our country by facilitating them with the visa-free scheme. Belarus is a country with a nice city, friendly people, good food and culture, as well as being rich in history,” he added.

Visa-free entry for Indonesians will come into effect on Feb. 12 and will be valid for five-day periods.

Until Feb. 12, tourist visas will still cost €60 (US$64.38).

Other countries whose nationals are entitled to the visa-free entry include Malaysia and Singapore.

Zagorsky said relations between Indonesia and Belarus are growing in many aspects, particularly as trade between the two countries in 2016 was estimated to be worth $200 million.

“We see that Indonesia and Belarus may become significant trading partners,” he said. “Therefore we look forward to more Indonesian citizens visiting Belarus in the future.”

The ambassador added that the visa-free scheme is meant to reciprocate the Indonesian government, which began allowing Belarus citizens to enter its territory the same way two years ago.

He expressed hope that Indonesia would open a mission in Minsk, the capital, since the closest Indonesian mission is in Moscow.

Belarus became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The ambassador said his government was still lobbying Indonesia to open the mission in Minsk.

“It might be time consuming, but we hope the decision will be made soon,” he said

The embassy said that about 150 Indonesian citizens applied for a Belarus visa in Indonesia last year.

Others applied for visas at Belarus embassies in Europe, he added.

However, the visa-free scheme does not apply to persons arriving in Belarus on flights from the Russian Federation, or to those who intend to fly from Minsk National Airport to airports in the Russian Federation.

“We do not have a proper border checkpoint for Moscow-Minsk-Moscow. However, there are still alternative routes, such as Istanbul-Minsk, Frankfurt-Minsk,” Zagorsky said.

He added that the visa-free scheme also does not apply to foreigners paying official visits.

Foreign nationals must have a valid passport, financial means worth at least €25 and medical insurance with coverage of at least €10,000.

“The requirement for medical insurance could be a challenge. However, the necessary information is available at the website of the embassy and the insurance policy can be purchased upon arrival,” the Ambassador added.

Among others things Belarus imports from Indonesia are foodstuffs, fishery products, furniture, tobacco and textiles.

Meanwhile, the things Belarus exports to Indonesia include tires and farm tractors, according to the trade ministry.