Visit by Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong to Jakarta, Indonesia to attend the inauguration of His Excellency Prabowo Subianto as President of the Republic of Indonesia, 20 to 21 October 2024

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong called on Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Istana Merdeka this afternoon. He attended President Prabowo’s inauguration ceremony in the morning and will attend the State Dinner Reception this evening.

During their meeting, Prime Minister Wong congratulated President Prabowo on his inauguration and strong mandate. Prime Minister Wong looked forward to deepening bilateral cooperation as Indonesia embarks on a new phase in its development under President Prabowo’s leadership. As a friend and neighbour, Singapore is ready to partner Indonesia, both bilaterally and regionally. Prime Minister Wong and President Prabowo discussed common challenges facing Singapore and Indonesia, and how both countries can act together to boost resilience and shared prosperity.

Prime Minister Wong has also written a congratulatory letter to President Prabowo and a valedictory letter to President Joko Widodo. The texts of the letters are appended.

Prime Minister Wong will return to Singapore tomorrow.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

20 OCTOBER 2024

20 October 2024

His Excellency Prabowo Subianto

President

Republic of Indonesia

Dear President Prabowo,

Please accept my warmest congratulations on your inauguration as the President of the Republic of Indonesia.

The strong mandate you received from the people of Indonesia reflects their trust in your leadership and vision of a peaceful and prosperous nation. A confident and flourishing Indonesia makes for a cohesive and vibrant ASEAN and opens up many opportunities for closer cooperation between our countries.

I look forward to working with you to expand collaboration between Singapore and Indonesia. We are starting from a strong base. Both countries enjoy a close economic partnership, with significant trade, investment and tourist flows. With your support, the defence relationship has deepened with the entry-into-force of the Defence Cooperation Agreement, which will foster greater collaboration and capacity-building between our militaries.

There is significant potential for Singapore and Indonesia to work together in many other areas, and seek win-win outcomes for both sides. In recent years we started on renewable energy and sustainability, food security, human capital development and healthcare, and I hope that we can take our cooperation to the next level. 

The challenges and opportunities of the future will require closer international collaboration and coordination. Singapore and Indonesia also have a shared interest in safeguarding regional peace and prosperity, and promoting a rules-based order. Indonesia will continue to play a key role as a leader and trusted partner for constructive dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation in today’s increasingly fragmented world.

I wish you good health and every success as you assume the highest office in the land, and look forward to begin work on our shared agenda together.

Yours Sincerely,

Lawrence Wong

20 October 2024

His Excellency Joko Widodo

7^th President

Republic of Indonesia

Dear Bapak Jokowi,

Please accept my warmest appreciation as you complete your two highly successful terms as the 7^th President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesia has made tremendous progress under your visionary and steady leadership. You have overseen a decade of remarkable stability and solid economic growth, which has benefitted Indonesians from all walks of life. During your term, Indonesia became a trillion-dollar economy and embarked on ambitious infrastructure projects that will continue to generate growth for future generations. Indonesia is well-placed to work towards its Indonesia Emas 2045 vision, which will spur development and new opportunities for Indonesia and beyond.  

I am grateful for your unwavering support for our bilateral relations during your tenure. Your leadership paved the way for both countries to address longstanding issues, especially on airspace, defence cooperation and extradition. This has given us a strong foundation to embark on new areas of cooperation that will position Singapore and Indonesia well for the future.

In recent years, both our countries have launched new initiatives to cooperate on renewable energy, the digital economy, healthcare, and human capital development, among others. We were also in close communication and supported each other during the COVID-19 pandemic, and worked quickly to reopen borders to facilitate the recovery and ensure a smooth return to normalcy. Indonesia continues to be an attractive destination for Singapore businesses to invest and grow, and we hope to build on our close people-to-people and cultural ties to deepen mutual trust and understanding.

We have also cooperated well on the international stage. Indonesia’s 2022 G20 Presidency and 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship demonstrated Indonesia’s bebas aktif foreign policy and positioned Indonesia as a trusted advocate for consensus-building and constructive dialogue. Your administration had also advanced important initiatives such as the ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific, and launched negotiations for the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement. Singapore stands ready to work with the next Administration to promote efforts that advance the stability and prosperity of ASEAN and beyond. 

I wish you good health and every success in your future endeavours.

Yours Sincerely

Lawrence Wong