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Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Singapore and Indonesia will blaze a path forward for the rest of Asean: Tharman
Singapore and Indonesia will blaze a path forward for the rest of Asean: Tharman SINGAPORE - Deep, honest friendship built on understanding and trust - like what Singapore and Indonesia share - is the most precious geopolitical asset in a changing world, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on June 16. Speaking at a state banquet hosted for his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto on June 16, he added: 'Over the past few years, Singapore and Indonesia have opened a new era in our relationship. With regard to longstanding bilateral issues, we have listened closely to each other and found ways to move forward constructively for mutual benefit.' He added: 'By working together, Singapore and Indonesia will also blaze a path forward, as two of the founding members of Asean, for the rest of Asean .' Mr Tharman said both countries are now making bold strides to push the frontiers of cooperation, in areas such as in the green economy, manufacturing, digitalisation, and education. Mr Prabowo, who grew up in Singapore when it was still a British colony, said he is convinced that the interests of both countries are intertwined. 'We have our ups and downs. We did have our suspicions. We do have differences in backgrounds,' he added. 'We have issues that we must resolve, but the fact of the geopolitics of the world today emphasises that only collaboration and partnership can benefit neighbours.' Mr Tharman noted how the Expanded Framework Agreements, which came into force in 2024, were a historic milestone as they addressed bilateral issues which had been unresolved for decades. These agreements covered defence cooperation, airspace management and extradition. President Prabowo, as Defence Minister then , was crucial to this process, Mr Tharman said. For his contributions to the strong defence relations between both countries, Mr Prabowo was given Singapore's highest military honour, the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera), in 2023. Mr Prabowo is in Singapore to attend the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat, which he co-chaired with Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on June 15 and 16. It was t he first such retreat for both leaders in their current capacities. It is also his first state visit to Singapore since he took office in October 2024. Earlier on June 16 , PM Wong and President Prabowo witnessed the exchange of pacts on renewable energy and sustainability projects. Mr Prabowo said the leaders had a very productive and successful retreat, and agreed on 19 deliverables across many sectors. Mr Tharman said he looks forward to working with President Prabowo and PM Wong to bring a new generation of Singaporeans and Indonesians closer in the spirit of friendship, and in pursuit of shared interests. The ties between the two countries go far back to before each nation gained independence, and even before they were colonised, he said. 'People travelled freely across the seas, and between the archipelago of islands and trading posts that linked us together,' said Mr Tharman. 'They were also part of the dance of civilisations that shaped the cultures of Southeast Asia over the centuries, and which remains alive in their people's common heritage to this day.' He noted that Singapore's first overseas mission after it gained self-government was its trade and cultural office in Jakarta. This was opened in 1961 before Singapore gained full nationhood in 1965. The first minister to the office was Mr S Rajaratnam, who was then Minister for Culture and became Singapore's first Foreign Ministe r in 1965. Mr Rajaratnam was a friend of Indonesia and a close observer of its struggle for independence, Mr Tharman said. When he penned Singapore's national pledge in 1966, he drew inspiration from Indonesia's deep wealth of experience. Mr Prabowo noted that leaders from both countries helped form Asean , proving that they could have a zone of peace, prosperity and growth for more than half a century. While it has problems to resolve, it is still one of the few regions in the world that has achieved this era of stability, peace and growth, he said. 'It is my political decision to enhance the best possible cooperation and partnership with Singapore,' Mr Prabowo added. 'I believe sincerely that it's Indonesia's national interest and Singapore's national interest to be close partners, not only friends, but partners.' Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times covering topics such as community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Business Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Indonesia President Prabowo to visit Singapore for Leaders' Retreat
[SINGAPORE] Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto will be making a state visit to Singapore on Monday (Jun 16), in his first official visit to the Republic since his inauguration on Oct 20 last year. Accompanied by a delegation of ministers, Prabowo will meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the eighth annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Sunday. The Leader's Retreat is the highest-level platform between the two countries to discuss how to strengthen ties. While here, Prabowo will also call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who will host him at a state banquet. This is the first time both PM Wong and Prabowo are attending the Leader's Retreat in their current capacities – but not the first time they are meeting at the event. For last year's Leader's Retreat on Apr 29, held at Indonesia's Bogor state palace, PM Wong accompanied then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his capacity as deputy prime minister. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up There, they met Indonesia's then-president Joko Widodo and Prabowo – who was then president-elect. The leaders discussed topics ranging from cooperation in defence, the digital economy and the green economy, to potential investments in Indonesia's new capital of Nusantara in East Kalimantan. At this year's Leader's Retreat, PM Wong and President Prabowo are expected to review the close ties between Singapore and Indonesia, and discuss how to deepen cooperation in areas such as defence, the green economy and connectivity, MFA said. Ahead of the visit, Singapore and Indonesia on Friday signed three memorandums of understanding on cross-border electricity trade, carbon capture and storage, and a sustainable industrial zone. These were signed by Singapore's Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng and Indonesia's Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia during the former's visit to Jakarta. Strong bilateral ties Singapore and Indonesia share a 'longstanding friendship', said MFA, noting that both countries have been collaborating closely with each other on a variety of bilateral issues. One such area in which progress has been made is the Expanded Framework Agreements, which entered into force on Mar 21, 2024. These comprise agreements dealing with air space management, defence cooperation and extradition of fugitives. The countries also have deep economic and people-to-people ties. Indonesia is Singapore's eight-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of S$74.2 billion last year, indicated Singapore Department of Statistics data. The Republic has also been Indonesia's top source of foreign direct investments since 2014, clocking US$20.1 billion worth of such investments last year. Both countries are among each other's top source of visitor arrivals. Last year, Singapore had 2.49 million visitors from Indonesia, while Indonesia welcomed 1.4 million tourists from Singapore in 2023.
