"I believe Australians are smart enough to decide where they would want to go for a holiday," Marsudi said.
Bogor, W Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said she was not worried about the Australian governments threat of asking its citizens to boycott traveling to Indonesia.

This warning from Australia was issued after two Australian nationals were sentenced to death in Indonesia.

"I believe Australians are smart enough to decide where they would want to go for a holiday," Marsudi remarked at Bogor State Palace, West Java, on Monday.

In addition, she stated that she could not fathom how the boycott would be implemented and how the Australian government would prevent its citizens from traveling to a particular country.

"I cannot imagine how they will carry it out. So, I repeat, I think Australians can smartly decide where they would want to go," she reiterated.

Minister Marsudi also emphasized that the government would be consistent in executing the death sentence as Indonesia did not make any violations by asserting its law.

"We have communicated this consistently (to Australian authorities), both via telephone and letters. While we understand their position, they should also understand our stance regarding the policies adopted by the government of Indonesia," she explained.

Furthermore, she had conveyed to Australia Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop that the death sentence given to drug traffickers is related to the sovereignty of a state in enforcing its law.

"Indonesia always establishes friendly relations with countries. But at the same time, we believe laws must be enforced," she stressed.

With regard to tourism, the minister informed President Joko Widodo that the Foreign Affairs Ministry would support promotional activities.

"To access the visa service, almost half of our representatives overseas have used the online route," Marsudi noted.

She assured that her ministry would fully support the three-day visa service in a friendly, expeditious, accurate, and accountable fashion.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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