VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia secured an additional quota of 20 thousand for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage following a bilateral meeting between President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud.

At the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the 1st Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (ASEAN-GCC) in Riyadh on Friday, President Widodo spoke to the PM about the long queue for Hajj in Indonesia.

The long queue is leading to some prospective pilgrims having to wait up to 47 years.

"Therefore, Indonesia needs an additional Hajj quota. Alhamdulillah (thank God), the response was very positive," he said while delivering a press statement regarding his visit to Riyadh, which was uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat.

According to the President, Indonesia was given an additional quota of at least 20 thousand for next year's Hajj, less than 12 hours after the meeting.

Earlier, Indonesia's pilgrim quota for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage was capped at 221 thousand, while the quota for Hajj officers was set at 2,200.

The Indonesian government has started to prepare for the 2024 Hajj services, including preparing qualified Hajj officers in accordance with the needs.

Director general of Hajj and Umrah implementation at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Hilman Latief, had earlier highlighted the importance of careful planning for the preparation of Hajj officers, including determining the qualifications and placement schemes to improve Hajj services. (Antaranews)