The Saudi government has officially announced the 2025 quotas for Hajj pilgrims from around the world at a gathering to mark the end of the holding of this year's Hajj pilgrimage, he remarked.
Qoumas stated that attendees at the gathering, hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, comprised heads of Hajj delegations from various countries, including Indonesia.
The minister noted that the announced quota was similar to the information provided earlier by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister for Hajj Affairs, Ayed Al Ghuwainim, and to the content of a letter he had received.
Qoumas said he commended the Saudi government's early announcement of the 2025 quota of Hajj pilgrims, as it would help related authorities and stakeholders get prepared for next year's Hajj season more quickly.
He also lauded the Saudi authorities, who had firmly enforced the Hajj and non-Hajj visa rules during this year's Hajj season.
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Regarding the holding of Indonesia's 1445 Hijri Hajj Pilgrimage, he claimed that it had run well and successfully, as the regular quota of some 213,320 Hajj pilgrims could be absorbed optimally.
Only 45 pilgrims from the regular quota could not depart for the Hajj Pilgrimage, as people who replaced them failed to get the Hajj visa on time, he revealed.
He claimed that this unabsorbed quota was recorded as "the smallest in more than a decade of organizing the Hajj Pilgrimage."
As reported earlier, for this year's Hajj season, Indonesia obtained a quota of 241 thousand Hajj pilgrims through an agreement reached with the Saudi government on January 8, 2024.
The total figure comprised 221 thousand people making the pilgrimage under the initial quota and 20 thousand pilgrims under the additional quota approved by the King of Saudi Arabia.
The additional quota was secured by President Joko Widodo during a bilateral meeting with Saudi Arabian Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud in October 2023.
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Translator: Asep F, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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