REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius signed an agreement allowing a short-stay visa waiver for holders of diplomatic and official passports at the latter's office on Saturday.
The two ministers signed the agreement as part of efforts to strengthen the Indonesia-France strategic partnership launched in July 2011.
Marty arrived in France on Saturday for a two-day visit aimed at reciprocating Fabius? visit to Jakarta in early August last year, the Second Secretary of Educational, Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian embassy in Paris, Agus Badrul Jamal , told an Antara correspondent in London on Sunday.
The Minister stated that the meeting reflected a reaffirmation of a joint commitment towards enhancing bilateral relations, based on a strategic partnership as contained in the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership of 2011.
In addition to enhancing relations and cooperation between government agencies, state institutions and parliaments of the two countries in many areas of cooperation, the agreement was expected to serve as a starting point for intensifying people-to-people contact, he added.
At the bilateral talks, the two ministers also discussed the implementation of the strategic partnership as a follow up to a similar meeting held in Jakarta on Aug.1 last year.
Both foreign ministers agreed to hold regular meetings to discuss the progress made in the implementation of the strategic partnership.
The French Foreign Minister shared Marty's view saying Indonesia was important for France, and was one of the key countries in the region.
At the meeting, both ministers warmly welcomed a planned joint business forum meeting on economic affairs this year, hoping it would boost trade and investment between the two countries.
The two countries also agreed to encourage environment cooperation within the framework of the UNFCCC to be realized in Paris in 2015. They also agreed to launch a showcase of Indonesia-France cooperation on climate change, ahead of the COP-2 meeting in Paris.
The two foreign ministers also discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern.
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