“We want to find ways to bring Malaysia-Indonesia cooperation to a new dimension”

The changes will affect around 5,000 Malaysian students in Indonesia and 14,000 Indonesian students in Malaysia. The current visas last only one year and must be renewed annually.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Malaysia’s Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh and Indonesia’s Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh at the end of the Malaysia-Indonesia Annual Consultation in Istana Merdeka, Indonesian President’s Complex.

The visa has faced significant delays since an agreement was reached in 2006, but Idris said that the visa arrangements “will be implemented quickly” now that the MoU has been signed.

Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia, Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, said that good relations between the two countries have translated into rapid growth of trade and investment in recent years.

“Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral ties have been very good in recent years. This include ties between governments, business communities and the people,” he said, adding, “We want to find ways so that more connectivity can be developed to bring Malaysia-Indonesia cooperation to a new dimension.”

Bilateral trade between January and October 2013 increased by almost half a billion US dollars on the previous year, at US$16.22bn (RM52.46bn).

The two countries also signed two further MoUs on youth and sports cooperation and cooperation in preventing and combating transnational crimes.