IRIA News

Singapore and Indonesia signed a number of agreements on January 25 during Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visit to Indonesia.

Singaporean Prime Minister Loong arrived in Bintan to attend the first Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Singaporean Prime Minister Loong met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, as both nations signed agreements on economy, travel bubbles and the extradition of fugitives that appeared to mark a turning point in relations between the two Southeast Asian nations.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release stated: “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.”

Indonesian President Widodo said, “In the future, it is hoped that cooperation in law enforcement, aviation safety, and defense and security of the two countries can continue to be strengthened based on the principle of mutual benefit”.

The leaders of Indonesia and Singapore 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 Defense Ministers on the 2007 Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) and its Implementing Arrangement between the Singapore Armed Forces and the Indonesian Armed Forces (known as “the Indonesian National Defence Forces”) for the Military Training Area in Indonesia (IA-MTA);
• An Exchange of Letters undertaking to bring the agreements above into force simultaneously.

According to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs release, “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,” the statement added.

On January 26, Singaporean Defense Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto signed a Joint Statement reaffirming the agreement between the two governments to put the 2007 DCA and its Implementing Arrangement between the armed forces of two Southeast Asian nation into force.

In addition to bolster the strategic relationship between the defense agencies of the two countries and facilitating discussions and oversight of new areas of defense cooperation, DCA will also enhance cooperation and facilitate close interaction between the Singapore Armed Forces and the Indonesian National Defense Force. As part of the agreement, the Singapore’s forces will continue to conduct military training and exercises in Indonesia’s training area, fully respecting Indonesia’s sovereignty over its territory, including its archipelago and territorial waters and its airspace.

The defense cooperation agreement will significantly boost Singapore’s ability to conduct naval and military exercises amid regional tensions arising from the rise of China. Indonesia, with its vast land and sea, has agreed to allow Singapore and other countries to conduct naval exercises in the Bravo waters of the South China Sea four times a year.

The leaders of Indonesia and Singapore also stressed the importance of recovering together from the COVID-19 pandemic. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee and Indonesian President Joko Widodo 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,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release read.

“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),” the statement said.

The leaders of Singapore and Indonesia also 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,” the press release added.

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