To greater heights: Wong (left) and Prabowo shaking hands after the press conference at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. — AFP
THE city-state and Indonesia will be writing a new chapter in their bilateral ties by collaborating on new opportunities, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Wong, who is also Finance Minister, noted how while he and Prabowo are leaders who are starting out in their new roles, they both benefit from the work of their predecessors.
“As new leaders now, both of us are able to write a new chapter in our bilateral ties and take the relationship to even greater heights,” said Wong.
He was speaking at a joint press conference with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the presidential palace in Jakarta yesterday.
Wong was sworn in as Prime Minister of Singapore on May 15, taking over from Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, while Prabowo was inaugurated as Indonesia’s President on Oct 20.
In his remarks, Prabowo reaffirmed the close ties between the two countries.
He said that Wong’s visit was very meaningful because it was the first official visit by a foreign leader since his inauguration.
“Singapore is one of the closest neighbours and a very important partner for Indonesia. We have good cooperation bilaterally and also within the Asean framework,” said Prabowo.
This trip is the fourth time this year that Wong and Prabowo are meeting. The pair last met during Prabowo’s inauguration.
Wong is on a two-day visit to Indonesia and arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He was welcomed by Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono, Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid, and Indonesia’s Ambassador to Singapore Suryo Partomo.
Wong and Prabowo had also met during the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat hosted by then Indonesian President Joko Widodo in April, and again in June when Prabowo was in Singapore to deliver a special address at the 21st edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
At the press conference, Wong said both leaders discussed new opportunities for collaboration in the coming years. This includes areas like defence, digital technologies, healthcare and trade.
Both countries are also among each other’s top sources of visitor arrivals. Singapore welcomed 2.3 million tourists from Indonesia in 2023, while Indonesia saw 1.4 million tourists from Singapore that year.
Wong said that during their meeting, the two leaders also discussed collaborating in areas aligned to Indonesia’s priorities, including food security.
He said talks are ongoing about how both sides can exchange best practices and share technologies to mutually benefit in the agriculture and food sectors.
Another important area is energy security, Wong added, saying that the two leaders had good discussions on issues like clean energy and sustainability.
“This can be a new growth engine for both our countries, especially when we realise cross-border energy exports as well as cross-border carbon capture and storage projects in the coming years,” he said. — The Straits Times/ANN
