Turkish President Abdullah Gül said Tuesday that a decision has been made to lift mutual visa requirements with Indonesia.

“We have agreed to start working on the removal of the visa requirements,” Gül told reporters at a joint press conference with visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambangu Yudhoyono. The two countries’ citizens are able to obtain visas at the port of entry under current agreements, but, with the completion of the talks on the matter, there will be no need to acquire a visa.

“This shows that the geographical distance between our countries is not a problem in developing our ties,” Gül said. “We hope that our good relationship will reflect on tourism and all other fields.”

During the visit, the two countries officials signed eight agreements to boost ties. The agreements included cooperation on defense industry, cultural exchange programs and sea transportation, among other matters.

“These agreements are a clear indication of the importance we attach to our ties,” Gül said.

The two presidents agreed to increase the trade volume from the current $1.5 billion to $10 billion as a mid-term target. “We are aware of the potential of both countries and we are trying to encourage this either for trade or investments,” Gül said.

For his part, the visiting president said his country wants to open a new chapter of cooperation with Turkey. “Our ties date back to the 16th century. We must increase our partnership and cooperation,” Yudhoyono said.