Jakarta,     - Indonesia and Laos are exploring  the possibility of opening a direct flight route between Jakarta and Vientiane, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

     "Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa during his official visit to Laos last January 10-11, 2010 met with the Laotian president and foreign minister to discuss the possibility of opening a direct flight route between Jakarta and Vientiane," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tengku Faizasyah said here on Wednesday.

     Faizasyah said  both governments had also committed to consider the granting of the visa-free facility to people traveling bewtween the two countries. 

     During the bilateral meeting, he said, officials from both countries realized the importance of improving bilateral cooperation in the political, security, trade and agricultural fields.

     "Both sides considered the need to increase the frequency of exchange of visits by government officials, businessmen and tourists from the two countries," said Faizasyah.

     In order to increase bilateral cooperation, Minister Natalegawa on his visit to Laos also extended an invitation to Laotian  Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith to attend the third Indonesia-Laos Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation Meeting which would take place in the first semester of 2010 in Yogyakarta.

-Antara, 14 January 2010-