JAKARTA — Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, received in Jakarta, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, during his official visit to Indonesia, which aimed at discussing increasing opportunities for future cooperation between the two sides in several fields.

They discussed issues of common interest in a way that contributes to facilitating the arrival of Indonesian pilgrims and visitors to perform their rituals with tranquility, to meet the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The minister conveyed the greetings of the Saudi leadership to the Indonesian President, and to the government and people of Indonesia, and their wishes for continued development and prosperity, stressing that the Kingdom is honored to serve the Two Holy Mosques.

He also pointed to Indonesia’s great Islamic and international weight, in addition to that the two countries being members of the G20.

Dr. Al-Rabiah explained that during the last Hajj season, and in the aftermath of the pandemic (COVID-19), the numbers increased, registering around 211,000 Indonesian pilgrims who were able to perform their rituals, while the number of Umrah performers coming from Indonesia over the past few months exceeded more than one million.

The visit included meetings with several officials and specialists from the public and private sectors, including a meeting with the Minister of Tourism and Knowledge Creativity, Sandiaga Uno, to discuss increasing the number of flights between the two countries.

This would increase the opportunities for the movement of Saudi and Indonesian pilgrims and Saudi visitors in light of the facilities announced by the Kingdom by removing the health and procedural restrictions and allowing holders of all types of tourist and personal visas to perform Umrah.

The minister touched on the Kingdom’s efforts to rehabilitate the religious and historical sites in Makkah and Madinah, under the umbrella of the Pilgrim Experience Program — one of the programs of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, to enrich the journey of visitors and pilgrims. — SPA