VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The 1st Indonesia-India Consular Dialogue was held for discussing key issues pertaining to consular affairs and diplomatic facilities, among others.

The Consular Dialogue was held in Yogyakarta on July 1-3, 2019, according to a statement in Jakarta, Wednesday.

The dialogue chiefly centered on the detention of nine foreign ships.

The Indonesian delegation was led by Director General of Protocol and Consular Affairs Ambassador Andri Hadi and involved officials and representatives of other related ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, The Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers’ (BNP2TKI), Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesian Navy, Ministry of Transportation, and Indonesian Representatives in India.

In the meantime, India's delegation was led by Deputy Minister for External Affairs, Ambassador Sanjiv Arora and comprised Indian Foreign Ministry's officials, the Indian ambassador to Indonesia, and other officials from the Indian Foreign Ministry.

Director General Hadi affirmed that this dialogue offered the apposite forum to formulate a strategy of consular affairs between both countries to resolve issues. This dialogue is expected to intensify bilateral relations between both countries. The consular dialogue is part of the efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

During the discussion, Consular Director Hadi revealed that the detention of crew aboard nine foreign ships by the Indonesian Navy should be discussed as one of the topics of strategic focus, as those vessels had operated illegally in Indonesia's waters.

A total of 87 Indians were aboard those foreign ships of which 20 have been released.

"The foreign ministry has established consular notification and facilitated the visit of the Indian ambassador in Jakarta along with other staff members to meet the ship's crew. They are treated well in accordance with the Vienna Convention of 1963," he explained.

He noted that the foreign ministry had continued to respect the law and could not intervene in the process.

In the meantime, India was expected to provide immediate consular notification to help all Indonesian citizens in India facing problems.

As a result, both countries can adopt a balanced approach in terms of the treatment to protect their respective citizens abroad.

The dialogue also covered consular cases including visa-related matters, residence permit in both countries, notification mechanism and consular access, diplomatic facilities, nationality issues, and consular assistance.

Furthermore, an agreement was reached on most issues to resolve matters at the earliest and will be observed further and followed up for discussion at the 2nd Consular Dialogue in New Delhi in 2020. (ANTARA)