MFA Press Statement: Visit of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli to Batam, 4 August 2011

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli visited Batam on 4 August 2011 to be the Guest of Honour at the Singapore National Day Reception hosted by our Consulate in Batam.

While in Batam, Minister of State Masagos met Riau Islands Province (KEPRI) Governor Muhammad Sani and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between KEPRI and Singapore. Minister of State Masagos also met Vice-Governor Soerya Respationo and other KEPRI luminaries at the National Day reception.

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REMARKS BY MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS MASAGOS ZULKIFLI AT THE SINGAPORE CONSULATE'S NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION IN BATAM, THURSDAY, 4 AUGUST 2011

Yang Terhormat Bapak Sani, Governor KEPRI
Bapak Soerya Respationo, Vice Governor KEPRI
Bapak Nur Syafraidi, Speaker KEPRI DPRD
Bapak Ahmad Dahlan, Mayor of Batam
Fellow Singaporeans

I am delighted to be here with you this evening to celebrate Singapore's 46th National Day. I have visited Batam a number of times previously, but this is my first visit in my capacity as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. I met with KEPRI's Governor, Bapak Sani, earlier this afternoon and we had a good exchange of views. We both agreed on the importance of further strengthening Singapore's relationship with KEPRI.

Singapore and KEPRI have deep and substantive relations that go back a long way, even before Singapore's independence in 1965. The sampans that used to ply between Batam and Clifford Pier carrying people and local produce have been replaced with modern ferries and cargo ships that transport hundreds of people and tons of manufactured goods daily. Singaporeans make up the biggest number of visitors to KEPRI. The opening of our Consulate here in Batam last year is a testament to the strong links between KEPRI and Singapore.

Our economic relationship remains strong. Singapore was the largest investor in Indonesia in 2010, with total investments amounting to over US$5 billion. This is not new - Singapore has consistently been among the top investors in Indonesia, and approximately one-third of these investments are in KEPRI. Singapore is also KEPRI's largest trading partner. The special ties between Singapore and KEPRI can be seen from our close cooperation in the Batam, Bintan and Karimun Special Economic Zones (BBK SEZs). We will need to continue to work hard to ensure the on-going success and attractiveness of the BBK SEZs, so that it can be the model for the development of other SEZs in Indonesia.

The relationship between Singapore and KEPRI extends well beyond the economic and business sphere. Let me give you a flavour of some of the other on-going interactions. In December last year, Singapore's Ministry of Health conducted a training course for KEPRI health officials in Singapore. Separately, through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, we have been conducting annual English language training courses in Tanjungpinang for KEPRI officials. In June this year, our Consulate carried out a community project with the international medical charity, Operation Smile, to provide free cleft lip and cleft palate operations in KEPRI. This was done in collaboration with the KEPRI health department and the Batam Chinese Association, with some funding provided by Singapore companies in Batam. In all, 104 patients were operated on with some coming from as far away as Pulau Laut, one of the outlying islands of Natunas. All these interactions have helped to strengthen the ties between our officials and our communities.

At the G-to-G level, we were honoured to host the visit of Bapak Sani to Singapore in January this year, with a delegation which included Vice Governor Soerya and KEPRI DPRD Speaker Nur Syafriadi. During the visit, a number of areas of cooperation were discussed, including our interest in setting up a vegetable farm in Bintan for the Singapore market. There are clear synergies here, as H.E. President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono also identified the export of fruits and vegetables to Singapore as an area of opportunity for KEPRI when he visited Bintan in February this year. We will continue to grow our interactions with KEPRI and consider new areas to further develop the close relationship.

As is the tradition, let me try and reflect our warm relations in a pantun:

Bunga Seroja harum mewangi
Burung Serunduk mematuk betik
Ulang Tahun Singapura diperingati
Hubungan Kepri Singapura bertambah baik

[The Seroja flower is fragrant
The Serunduk bird is feasting on a papaya
Singapore's National Day is celebrated
Kepri Singapore relations are expanding]

August is a special month for Singapore and Indonesia. Like Indonesia, Singapore also attained its independence in August. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the people and government of Indonesia in advance for your 66th Independence Day on 17 August. To all our Indonesian friends, thank you for joining us today for this very special celebration. To the Muslims here this evening, I would like to convey my greetings of Ramadhan Mubarak to you and your family. And to all Singaporeans, a very happy National Day! I wish you all a very pleasant evening.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
4 AUGUST 2011