Indonesia seeks more Saudi visitorsas pilgrims rise

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia hopes visits by Saudi citizens will increase in line with a steady rise in Indonesian haj and umrah pilgrims traveling to the kingdom, Deputy Minister of Haj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said on Tuesday.

“We hope that in the future, visits by Saudi citizens to Indonesia will also increase as our haj and umrah pilgrims continue to grow,” Dahnil said at a Saudi Founding Day celebration in Jakarta.He described Saudi Arabia as a strategic partner for Indonesia and said maintaining strong ties with the kingdom’s government was essential.

Indonesia, he added, is the only country other than Saudi Arabia that has a dedicated ministry handling haj and umrah affairs, underscoring the importance of bilateral coordination. The two ministries maintain intensive communication to ensure services for Indonesian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia run smoothly, he said. Dahnil expressed optimism that two-way travel would become more balanced as religious travel from Indonesia continues to expand.

“This year alone, 2.6 million of our umrah pilgrims traveled to Saudi Arabia, and the number is likely to keep rising. For haj, our quota this year is 221,000 pilgrims,” he said.

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Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Amudi said relations between the two countries are rooted in close ties between their leaders and people.

He said bilateral relations are advancing to a more strategic level and expressed hope for further progress.

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“Cooperation between King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership continues to move toward a more strategic level,” Faisal said.

“These relations will continue to be strengthened to achieve our shared aspirations,” he added.