REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to oversee Indonesia's efforts to encourage the process of the Schengen visa exemption for Indonesian citizens, which is currently still under negotiation.

"The foreign minister would always bring the matter up whenever she meets the representatives of member countries of the European Union (EU)," spokesman for the Ministry Arrmanatha Nasir stated in Jakarta on Thursday.

Indonesia has been listed as one of the countries being considered by the EU for the exemption of the Schengen visa.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had also reportedly raised the issue with EU's Chief for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, during her visit to Brussels, Belgium.

Nasir noted that the EU member countries are still carrying out comprehensive discussions regarding the granting of Schengen visa-free policy to proposing countries.

The Schengen visa is a specific entry permit granted for entrance into 26 countries in Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Meanwhile, a petition was uploaded on the Change.org page to garner support for the exemption of the Schengen visa for Indonesian passport holders.

The petition, titled "Schengen Visa Exemption for Indonesian Citizens," has earned at least 1,037 support and will be sent to the European Commission once it collect 1,500 support.

"We sincerely hope that Indonesia can soon be included in the list of countries that receive Schengen visa-free facilities and hope that the perfect and long-standing relationship between Indonesia and the European Union continues to grow," the petition wrote.

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