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Indonesia to establish travel corridor for ‘essential business trips’ with South Korea
The government finalized a similar agreement with the United Arab Emirates last month.
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Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi attends the Joint Commission Meeting with New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters virtually on July 29.
(Twitter/@Menlu_RI)
I
ndonesia and South Korea have agreed to establish a travel corridor to facilitate “essential business and diplomatic trips” between the two countries amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said arrangements for the travel corridor had been finalized with South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday evening.
“I hereby announce that the essential business travel corridor arrangement with South Korea has been agreed upon and will be inaugurated on Aug. 17, coinciding with Indonesia’s 75th Independence Day,” Retno told an online press conference as quoted in a statement on Thursday.
The government finalized a similar agreement with the United Arab Emirates last month, allowing state officials and industry stakeholders from the two countries to go on essential trips between one another.
Retno said the agreement with South Korea had taken longer to finalize as both countries were keen on ensuring strict adherence to health protocols.
Read also: Indonesia finalizing 'travel corridor' with UAE
Per the agreement, only essential industry stakeholders and state officials may use the travel corridor.
“I would like to reiterate that the travel corridor with South Korea is intended for essential businesspeople and members of the diplomatic community, not tourists,” she said.
The agreement, she said, was expected to grant leeway to state departments and businesses from both countries, allowing them to reconnect and resume projects that had been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic while still complying with health procedures.
