Denver – Morocco’s embassy in Jakarta has organized a temporary consulate to address the diplomatic needs and other concerns of Moroccan expatriates living in the Indonesian province.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bali contains the second highest population of Moroccans in Indonesia after Jakarta. Moroccans residing in Bali have been unable to travel to the Moroccan embassy located in Jakarta due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the ministry said.
Morocco’s temporary consulate project involved nearly thirty Moroccans on the island between August 20- 23. Several of the Moroccan citizens in Bali have resided on the island for nearly two decades, according to the ministry.
Indonesia and Morocco share reasonably good bilateral ties, and the two countries recently discussed ways to further their bilateral cooperation.
Rabat and Jakarta notably agreed to jointly combat COVID-19 in Africa, and the Indonesian government also took a stand in support of Morocco’s autonomy proposal in the Western Sahara dispute. The most populous Muslim country in the world, Indonesia is also a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) alongside Morocco.
Consulates provide a crucial service in representing a country’s citizens while abroad. Travellers commonly contact the consulates in order to renew passports, issue visas, and register birth and death certificates.
Following the reported success of the new consular service in Bali, and recognizing the need for continued service to the Moroccans living in Bali, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced plans to repeat the services in Bali every six months.
