Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat, Bintan, Indonesia, 25 January 2022

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bintan, Indonesia, on 25 January 2022 for the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat. This was Prime Minister Lee’s fifth Leaders’ Retreat with President Joko Widodo and the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Leaders affirmed the excellent relations between Singapore and Indonesia. They also agreed that significant progress had been made on bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual benefit to both countries.

Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo witnessed the signing and exchange of the following set of agreements: an Agreement on the Realignment of the Boundary between the Jakarta Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Singapore FIR, a Treaty for the Extradition of Fugitives (ET), a Joint Statement between the Defence Ministers on the 2007 Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) and its Implementing Arrangement between the Singapore Armed Forces and the Indonesian Armed Forces (now referred to as “the Indonesian National Defence Forces”) for the Military Training Area in Indonesia (IA-MTA), as well as an Exchange of Letters undertaking to bring the agreements above into force simultaneously. These bilateral agreements were negotiated on the basis of the ‘Framework for Discussions’ that the two Leaders endorsed at the Leaders’ Retreat in 2019.

Under the FIR Agreement, Singapore and Indonesia have agreed to realign the boundary between the Jakarta FIR and the Singapore FIR. Indonesia will delegate to Singapore the provision of air navigation services in portions of the airspace within the realigned Jakarta FIR. This Agreement will remain in force for 25 years and shall be extended by mutual consent if both parties find it beneficial to do so. The FIR Agreement takes into account ICAO rules and regulations and will be submitted for approval to the ICAO in accordance with an agreed procedure.

Under the ET, Singapore and Indonesia will grant extradition for a comprehensive list of extraditable offences covered by the treaty, in accordance with the laws of both countries and subject to the requisite safeguards and provisions in the ET.

The DCA will strengthen the strategic relationship between both defence establishments, and the SAF and TNI, by enhancing cooperation and promoting closer interaction between our Armed Forces. As part of the DCA, the SAF will continue to conduct military training and exercises in training areas in Indonesia, with full respect for Indonesia’s sovereignty over its territory, including its archipelagic and territorial waters and its airspace, and in accordance with UNCLOS. The DCA and IA-MTA shall remain in force for 25 years.

The Leaders affirmed that the conclusion of these agreements under this Framework reflects the maturity of bilateral relations and illustrates our commitment to resolving longstanding matters of mutual importance amicably and constructively, for the long-term mutual benefit of our countries and peoples. The Leaders agreed that the agreements had taken into account the rights and interests of both countries and would be durable and for the long haul.

Both Leaders also agreed that the agreements represented an important milestone for bilateral relations. Once ratified and simultaneously brought into force, they would pave the way for stronger and deeper bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of civil aviation, defence, and criminal matters. Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo agreed that the resolution of these longstanding matters also put both countries in good stead to further deepen engagement in mutual areas of priority.

Prime Minister Lee also accepted President Joko Widodo’s invitation to the G20 Summit in Bali later this year and expressed Singapore’s support for Indonesia’s G20 Presidency.

Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo emphasised the importance of Singapore and Indonesia recovering together from the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo also discussed current travel arrangements, including the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) from Jakarta to Singapore and Indonesia’s decision to resume tourism travel from Singapore to specific resorts in Bintan and Batam. Both sides would discuss further expansion of these arrangements, on a reciprocal basis, taking into account the COVID-19 situation.  

Noting our robust economic ties, Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo discussed ways to build on the success of projects such as the Kendal Industrial Park and the Nongsa Digital Park (NDP). They welcomed the launch of the Nongsa Digital Town (D-Town) in Batam as the next phase of NDP’s development. The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Financial and Economic Cooperation between the Singapore Ministry of Finance and Indonesian Ministry of Finance, and the MOU between the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Bank Indonesia to expand cooperation across central banking, financial regulation and payments innovation would also encourage more multi-faceted and forward-looking institutional linkages in developing our digital economies.

Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo looked forward to further areas of collaboration to support our common interest in the digital economy, sustainability, and the green economy. To this end, the Leaders welcomed the announcement of an MOU on Bilateral Partnership on Green and Circular Economy Development between the Singapore Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning and an MOU on Energy Cooperation between the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. These MOUs will promote new opportunities for green growth, and the development of new and emerging technologies.

Amidst the initiatives to bolster recovery, Prime Minister Lee and President Joko Widodo concurred that the full bilateral agenda was possible due to the support of strong people-to-people ties and efforts from both sides on developing human capacity. This is an important area of cooperation that will see further expansion under the Human Capital Partnership Arrangement between the Singapore Ministry of Education and the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. The arrangement would formalise regular exchanges between our educators and youth, including in the area of vocational education.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
25 JANUARY 2022

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bintan, Indonesia, on 25 January 2022 for the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat

Photo Credit: Ministry of Communications and Information, Singapore

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bintan, Indonesia, on 25 January 2022 for the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat

Photo Credit: Ministry of Communications and Information, Singapore

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo with Singapore and Indonesian Ministers at the ceremony for the signing of agreements at the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat. (Indonesian Ministers from right to left: Minister of Transportation H.E. Budi Karya Sumadi; Minister of Defence H.E. Prabowo Subianto; Minister of Law and Human Rights H.E. Yasonna Laoly; Cabinet Secretary H.E. Pramono Anung; Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs H.E. Airlangga Hartarto; Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Retno Marsudi; Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments H.E. Luhut Pandjaitan)

Photo Credit: Ministry of Communications and Information, Singapore

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of National Development Sim Ann and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bintan, Indonesia, on 25 January 2022 for the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat

Photo Credit: Ministry of Communications and Information, Singapore