The Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat is where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently met Indonesian President Joko Widodo. This was Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo’s sixth Leaders’ Retreat, and it was the first one to be held in Singapore since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both Leaders said again that Singapore and Indonesia are getting along very well. They both agreed that the relationship between the two countries had grown a lot during President Joko Widodo’s two terms in office. This gave them a solid foundation to work together in new ways that are deep, multifaceted, forward-looking, and good for both countries.
The Leaders were happy that all three agreements under the Expanded Framework had been ratified. These were the Agreement on the Realignment of the Boundary between the Jakarta Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Singapore FIR, the Treaty for the Extradition of Fugitives, and the Defense Cooperation Agreement.
The Leaders anticipated the next step of obtaining approval from the International Civil Aviation Organisation for the new arrangements under the FIR Agreement so that both countries could implement all three agreements at a mutually agreed upon date. The resolution of these long-standing issues demonstrates the maturity and strength of bilateral relations.
In addition, several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed by the two leaders to strengthen cooperation in various sectors. Renewable energy cooperation, sustainable urban and housing development, health cooperation, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building, and security and finance collaboration are among the MoUs.
These agreements are intended to improve knowledge-sharing and training, supplement existing expertise, and strengthen interpersonal ties between the two countries. The Leaders recognised the importance of continuing collaboration in traditional sectors like security and finance to build trust in their security and economic partnerships.
President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Lee reaffirmed that bilateral relations are on a solid footing and agreed to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest that are sustainable and forward-looking. To this end, the Leaders’ Summit witnessed the signing of six MOUs in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, sustainability, and human capital development, as well as in traditional areas such as security.
The Leaders noted the growth of the digital economy in Singapore and Indonesia because of cooperative projects such as Nongsa Digital Park in Batam. The Leaders applauded the MOU between the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs on the Tech:X Programme, which allows young tech professionals from both countries to pursue employment opportunities in the other country’s market. This will strengthen connections between the tech ecosystems of Singapore and Indonesia, allowing tech talent to pursue opportunities in the rapidly expanding digital economy.
Leaders concurred that bilateral cooperation should remain multifaceted and comprehensive. Recently, Singaporean and Indonesian businesses signed nine MOUs in the digital economy sector, including health technology and education technology. These are believed to strengthen commercial ties and augment bilateral cooperation in emerging sectors.
Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo also discussed Indonesia’s ASEAN Chairmanship priorities. The two leaders discussed the situation in Myanmar and the path to membership for Timor-Leste.
The Prime Minister has reaffirmed Singapore’s total backing for Indonesia’s ASEAN Presidency. He thanked President Joko Widodo for his contributions to the bilateral relationship, and both Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advance the bilateral partnership.
