Myanmar and Indonesia on May 10 inked an agreement on visa exemption for ordinary passport holders.

The deal was signed by Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin and his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natelegawa on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar .

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Marty Natelegawa said the agreement is important to improve relations between the people of both countries, partly increasing connectivity among ASEAN countries, while boosting tourism between the two countries and within the region.

He said the relations between Indonesia and Myanmar is really good, in terms of a historical perspective, both countries have experienced a process of a democratic transition.

Besides tourism, Indonesia and Myanmar also expect to enhance their trade and investment cooperation, he added.

According to the Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty, the agreement is expected to help reach a bilateral trade of 1 billion USD by 2016.

The agreement marks a further step toward ASEAN Common Visa by 2015, as stipulated in the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Visa Exemption signed in Kuala Lumpur on July 26, 2006.-VNA