TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Saudi Arabia government in an announcement on Monday, June 6, has officially lifted the travel suspension for its citizens to Indonesia.

The country’s Ministry of Interior, according to Arab News stated that this decision was made following a continuous assessment of the Covid-19 situation in Indonesia and is in accordance with what has been submitted by the competent health authorities.

The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Director of the Middle East Bagus Hendraning Kobarsyih confirmed this news on Tuesday.

“That is confirmed,” said Bagus in a text message to Tempo on June 7, “Yes, we continue to urge Indonesian representatives in Saudi Arabia to continuously approach Saudi authorities. This is the result.”

The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah recently confirmed to Tempo that the government has informed Saudi authorities regarding the latest coronavirus situation in Indonesia and assured them that it has improved compared to other countries in general.

Saudi Arabia citizens were barred from traveling to Indonesia a few weeks ago along with 16 other countries in relation to Covid-19 situations. Other countries on Saudi’s list were Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, India, Vietnam, Armenia, Belarus, and Venezuela.

DANIEL AHMAD | ARAB NEWS

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