State Visit by President Halimah Yacob to the Republic of Indonesia from 3 to 6 February 2020

          President Halimah Yacob was received by President Joko Widodo at the Istana Bogor this morning. Following the official welcome ceremony, both Presidents planted a resin (damar) tree in the Istana courtyard to symbolise the strong and healthy state of bilateral relations. Thereafter, President had a bilateral meeting with President Joko Widodo. President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo also hosted a State Banquet Lunch in honour of President and Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee.

          During their engagements, President and President Joko Widodo reaffirmed the longstanding friendship and excellent relations between Singapore and Indonesia. Both Presidents agreed that bilateral cooperation across the economic, security and people-to-people sectors was substantive, wide-ranging and mutually beneficial. They affirmed the extensive and robust economic cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore, and agreed that there was significant potential for Indonesia and Singapore to explore cooperation in new, forward-looking areas such as the digital economy and Industry 4.0. President and President Joko Widodo welcomed the ongoing excellent cooperation between Singapore and  Indonesia in human resource development and reiterated their commitment to do more in this area.  President and President Joko Widodo agreed on the importance of maintaining strong people-to-people ties. President highlighted the need for Indonesia and Singapore to continue working together on initiatives, such as Youth Corps Singapore’s Youth Expedition Project Plus, to allow the younger generations from both countries to forge friendships and strengthen mutual understanding. President and President Joko Widodo also discussed Singapore’s ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia’s regions, and were pleased that the inaugural RISING Fellowship for Indonesia’s regional leaders was held successfully from 18 to 21 November 2019.

          President and President Joko Widodo witnessed the signing of the updated Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of Singapore for the Elimination of Double Taxation with respect to Taxes on Income and the Prevention of Tax Evasion and Avoidance (“DTA”), between Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Education, Indranee Rajah, and Indonesian Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The updated DTA enhances bilateral trade and investments, and further strengthens the strong economic cooperation between both countries. Both sides look forward to the early ratification of the DTA, as well as the bilateral Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments which was signed in 2018.

          President and President Joko Widodo were also pleased to note that the Singapore Police Coast Guard and Indonesia’s Directorate-General of Customs and Excise had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 3 February 2020 that would provide for information exchanges and the conduct of regular joint operations, patrols, as well as bilateral training initiatives.

          In the afternoon, President met Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin. They had a good discussion about the importance of education and vocational training in promoting human resource development. They also exchanged views on building cohesive and harmonious societies, and agreed that Singapore and Indonesia could step up cooperation in this area, including through inter-faith dialogue.

          Earlier in the day, President laid a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes’ Cemetery, as is customary for State Visits to Indonesia.

          In the evening, President will attend a reception with Singapore and Indonesian business leaders as well as a reception for overseas Singaporeans in Jakarta. President will continue her visit in Jakarta tomorrow before travelling to Yogyakarta in the afternoon.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

4 FEBRUARY 2020